Adjustable Buoyancy – Rod-Based System

Our new system was designed to be just as flexible as our old system while retaining the stability and reliability of the capsule system. This system is composed of two rods mounted on the system and uses the same foam blocks as the original design. This system is analogous to adding weights to a barbell: the weights slide onto the barbell and are secured on the ends. Similarly, the foam blocks slide onto the rods and are secured on the top with locking collars. This system maintains the flexibility of the old system but adds much-needed stability to the buoyancy blocks. Compared to the capsule-based system, it also has a minimalist design allowing it to be mounted in more places on the robot. The largest drawback is that it’s less precise than the other systems, but that can be circumvented by cutting smaller or larger foam blocks to adjust buoyancy in finer increments.