Autonomous systems which comprise autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV), autonomous surface vessels (ASV), and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are increasingly used for complex maritime applications such as patrols, inspections, deliveries, and search and rescue missions. In this course, students will gain exposure to the basics of mechanical, electrical, and software design that are relevant for developing such autonomous systems as they work together in a multidisciplinary team to build their own AUV from scratch to participate in a local competition.

At the end of this course, students should be able to:

• Understand the basics of mechanical, electrical, and software design for subsystems of an autonomous system.
• Create prototypes of components and subsystems using appropriate fabrication methods.
• Integrate and test various components and subsystems to create an autonomous system.
• Adopt simple technical documentation practices.

Workload: 4 units (graded on CS/CU basis)

Note: This course is only available for students who are selected for Team Bumblebee's training programme, Hornet. Bumblebee is a student-led competition team that focuses on designing and building autonomous maritime vehicles.

Course syllabus

Basic mechanical design and prototyping methods:

• Computer aided design
• 3D printing
• Laser cutting
• CNC manufacturing
• Waterproofing

Basic electrical design and prototyping methods:

• PCB design
• Soldering and crimping
• Signal processing
• Communications
• Power distribution and monitoring
• Embedded programming
• Interfacing hardware and software
• Use of simple lab equipment (e.g. power supply, oscilloscope) for testing

Basic software design and prototyping methods:

• Controls and navigation
• Perception and localisation
• Mission planning
• Simulation