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	Tether Handler — Moez Eldin Khaled
2	Tether connections secure at both ROV and topside ends	Tether Handler — Moez Eldin Khaled
3	Power supply fuse correctly rated and installed	Co-Pilot — Omar Helal
4	ESCs initialized — no audible alarm tones	Co-Pilot — Omar Helal
5	Cube Orange+ booted — QGC telemetry link established	Co-Pilot — Omar Helal
6	Jetson Orin Nano booted — SSH accessible from topside	Co-Pilot — Omar Helal
7	All 6 camera feeds visible on dashboard	Pilot — Baraa Gomaa
8	Motor test completed via QGC — all 8 thrusters spin correct direction	Co-Pilot — Omar Helal
9	Depth hold mode tested (dry) — barometer responding	Co-Pilot — Omar Helal
10	Kill switch functional — verified by arming then immediately killing	Co-Pilot — Omar Helal
11	Tether slack managed — no loops or kinks	Tether Handler — Moez Eldin Khaled
12	Pool area clear of obstructions and personnel in water	Station Leader — Yassin Sharkas

Emergency Procedures

Loss of Communication

If the MAVLink link is lost, the system immediately cuts power to the ROV and performs a full reboot to reset onboard controllers and restore communication with the surface station.

Electrical Fault

The fuse system acts as the hardware kill switch, automatically cutting power on overcurrent or faults. Diodes prevent back current when motors spin unexpectedly, protecting electronics, and capacitors at each camera stabilize voltage to prevent glitches during drops.

Entanglement

If the tether becomes entangled, the tether handler immediately notifies the station leader, who then informs the pilot. The pilot will then take the appropriate action to safely free the ROV or adjust its movement.

Lockout / Tagout (LOTO)

Prior to any physical maintenance or inspection of the ROV, the power supply must be fully disconnected and verified de-energized by the designated electrical lead. The main XT-60 input connector is physically unplugged from the power distribution board, and all team members are notified before any work begins. No maintenance is permitted on the vehicle while it remains connected to the surface power supply.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Personal protective equipment such as goggles, gloves, closed-toe shoes, and additional situational PPE is mandatory when required. Equipment is handled only under the guidance of trained personnel, and all operations follow established safety checklists, job safety analyses, and emergency procedures.

Safety Features — Design Integration

Feature	Implementation
Software kill switch	Disarm function in QGroundControl using the MAVLink protocol. Emergency disarm mapped to PS4 joystick on the topside laptop. MAVLink Router on the NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano Super forwards commands to the Cube Orange, which immediately cuts all thruster outputs upon disarm. Verified before each deployment by arming and immediately disarming to confirm motor shutdown.
Hardware kill switch	The fuse system acts as the hardware kill switch — cuts power from the entire system automatically on overcurrent or fault.
Fuse protection	25A Clear Fuse at the start of the tether (main power input). 10A at each motor (×8) to protect individual thrusters from overcurrent.
Leak detection	Currently in progress. The leak sensor model and corresponding alarm behavior will be specified and integrated at a later stage.
Positive buoyancy	In the event of a power interruption, the ROV will automatically ascend to the surface due to its positive buoyancy.
Thruster guards	Our U2 thrusters are equipped with full circular guard rings reinforced by radial struts, effectively preventing small objects or fingers from contacting the propellers.