RICE made underwater robot swim with water-splitting fuel cells [Video]

Rice University students have made a breakthrough in underwater robotics by creating a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) that utilizes water-splitting fuel cells for buoyancy control. This innovative design significantly improves over traditional thruster-based methods, paving the way for quieter, more energy-efficient autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs).

Fuel cell-powered buoyancy control

The ROV, aptly named “BayMax” by its creators – Team BayMax – represents a significant leap forward in underwater vehicle technology. The team, comprised of Andrew Bare, Spencer Darwall, Noah Elzner, Rafe Neathery, Ethan Peck, and Dan Zislis,  drew inspiration from a research paper co-authored by their sponsor, Professor Fathi Ghorbel. This paper explored the potential of fuel cell-based buoyancy control devices (BCDs) to revolutionize AUV operation.

Traditional AUVs rely on thrusters or pumps to …