making a ROV made of 3d printed parts to monitor lake conditions

[opalcat72]

Hi there, im new to this platform but im looking for some stake holder engagement for my own engineering project about making a ROV made of 3d printed parts, lego motors and syringes (as ballasts) i was wondering if anyone could help me out with some design choices i should keep in mind aswell as waterproofing/sealing techniques (i plan on using a magnetic coupler for my steering and thrust) and what type of data would be best for monitoring the conditions of lakes and ponds, thanks. Would love to hear back - Sam

[calixte]

Hi,

This is an interesting idea. There are a couple things to keep in mind while doing a project like this.
I personally would recommend keeping all the electronics in a sealed container, and only have the sensors/motors out.
It will definitely be complicated if you want it to be almost fully built out of 3d printed materials, but, if you haven't thought of this, use probably PETG or ASA filament to print them. Even though it might make it more expensive, it won't dissolve in 2 seconds like PLA does.
Another issue would be the sealing technique. I don't personally know of any methods of sealing using solely 3d printed materials, but you should definitely look up other projects like this and see what they do.
Also you need to keep in mind that a Lego motor does not have much torque, so your propellors would have to be smaller.

Though there are a lot of great ideas in this already including the magnetic couplers, syringes and ballast tanks, using Lego motors and 3d printed materials, and monitoring the body of water's conditions. There is definitely a product behind this idea, so keep going!