POND-i Remotely Operated Vehicle

Between 2017-19 Jonas and I designed and built a ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) with the goal of 1) making a small working tethered submarine with live video feed and 2) exploring the depths of a Pennsylvania pond in Grandmom’s neighborhood and 3) learning everything we could about all aspects of such things! Wonderfully, this project connected us with experts in materials & electronics, as well as an army of ROV builders out there, and with each other! Well worth it …

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Submarine / ROV
Submarine / ROV

After many doodles and brainstorm sketches, I made this concept sheet using Google Drawings to motivate us to take the next big steps towards realizing this project.

POND-i - Jonas & pool test
POND-i - Jonas & pool test

August 2017 - After assembling the main body of the ROV from locally purchased PVC and gluing in the camera portal plexiglass, we took it to a hotel-top swimming pool for a depth test. We put fresh dry TP inside to reveal any drips, sealed it up and wedged it under the pool ladder for about 30 minutes. Zero leakage!! We were well on our way to success!

POND-i - bucket test
POND-i - bucket test

Finally in Summer 2019 the POND-i was ready for a full technical test run. Step one would be the “bucket test” to check for 3 criteria: Watertight seal, trim and buoyancy!

POND-i - Bucket test results
POND-i - Bucket test results

The bucket test was to check on 3 criteria:

1) Watertight seal … again now that the cables had all been “potted” into the hull and the electronics were all in place inside, we needed to make double sure there were NO LEAKS.

2) Trim … front/back and side to side balance in the water. Turns out it needed some serious floatation in the back to make up for heavy rear thrusters, and a handful of lead sinkers in the front under the camera unit to trim it proper.

3) Buoyancy - We were going for zero buoyancy … not sinkage or floatage. It was pretty close before trimming it!

Pond-i Watercolor Sketch
Pond-i Watercolor Sketch

Carbon ink and watercolor on paper - 4” x 6” - sketchbook