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Safety Procedures

Safety is a core judging criterion in the MATE ROV competition. All procedures documented here are enforced during every pool run, practice session, and competition deployment.

Pre-Dive Checklist

# Check Verified By
1 All enclosure seals inspected — no visible O-ring damage or debris [INSERT DETAILS HERE]
2 Tether connections secure at both ROV and topside ends [INSERT DETAILS HERE]
3 Power supply fuse correctly rated and installed [INSERT DETAILS HERE]
4 ESCs initialized — no audible alarm tones [INSERT DETAILS HERE]
5 Cube Orange+ booted — QGC telemetry link established [INSERT DETAILS HERE]
6 Jetson Orin Nano booted — SSH accessible from topside [INSERT DETAILS HERE]
7 All 6 camera feeds visible on dashboard [INSERT DETAILS HERE]
8 Motor test completed via QGC — all 8 thrusters spin correct direction [INSERT DETAILS HERE]
9 Depth hold mode tested (dry) — barometer responding [INSERT DETAILS HERE]
10 Kill switch functional — verified by arming then immediately killing [INSERT DETAILS HERE]
11 Tether slack managed — no loops or kinks [INSERT DETAILS HERE]
12 Pool area clear of obstructions and personnel in water [INSERT DETAILS HERE]

[INSERT DETAILS HERE: Any additional team-specific safety checks]

Emergency Procedures

Loss of Communication

[INSERT DETAILS HERE: Procedure when MAVLink link drops — does the ROV auto-disarm? Does the pilot surface the vehicle manually? Timeout thresholds]

Water Ingress

[INSERT DETAILS HERE: Visual indicators of water ingress (e.g., condensation on camera, erratic IMU readings), immediate response protocol, power cutoff procedure]

Electrical Fault

[INSERT DETAILS HERE: Overcurrent behavior, fuse blow procedure, manual kill switch location and operation]

Entanglement

[INSERT DETAILS HERE: Tether entanglement response — pilot procedure, tether management role responsibilities]

Lockout / Tagout (LOTO)

[INSERT DETAILS HERE: Power isolation procedure before any physical work on the ROV — who controls the power supply, how the vehicle is verified de-energized before maintenance]

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

[INSERT DETAILS HERE: Required PPE for team members during pool operations — safety glasses, closed-toe shoes, gloves for handling batteries, etc.]

Safety Features — Design Integration

Feature Implementation
Software kill switch [INSERT DETAILS HERE: QGC disarm button, joystick button binding]
Hardware kill switch [INSERT DETAILS HERE: Physical switch location, wiring]
Fuse protection [INSERT DETAILS HERE: Fuse rating, location in power path]
Leak detection [INSERT DETAILS HERE: Leak sensor model, alarm behavior]
Positive buoyancy [INSERT DETAILS HERE: Does the ROV float if power is lost?]
Thruster guards [INSERT DETAILS HERE: Guard material, coverage]

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