Single omnidirectional thruster for AUVs and ROVs
This technology is a propulsion system for underwater vehicles that can generate thrust in any direction—up, down, left, right, or any combination—without repositioning the entire vehicle. It uses two sets of rotor blades spinning in opposite directions, whose pitch (angle) can be continuously adjusted by small servo motors through a swashplate mechanism borrowed from helicopter design. A central flap structure between the rotors keeps the blade motion stable under water pressure, and an onboard controller actively cancels out unwanted side forces that would otherwise push the vehicle off course. The result is a compact thruster that gives an underwater robot or vehicle full, precise control over its motion in all six degrees of freedom simultaneously.
What you could build
A high-performance thruster module for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) used in subsea inspection, military UUVs, or marine research platforms; the primary buyers would be AUV/ROV manufacturers and defense contractors building unmanned undersea systems.
Who in Virginia should care
Virginia's dense concentration of naval defense contractors and the Navy's presence at Newport News and Norfolk make this directly relevant to companies building or supplying unmanned undersea systems for DoD.
Readiness: Prototype likely
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- Taylor Njaka, Pinhas Ben-Tzvi, Stefano Brizzolara
- Granted
- August 20, 2024
- Status
- Granted patent
- Patent number
- 12065227
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.