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I was recently fiddling around trying to create a minimalist ROV that would be cheap, easy to build, and avoid needing to water-proof actuators. I tried several things and ended up with a surprising result that, as far as I know, could be a novel method for micro ROV propulsion.
Basically it involves a fully enclosed, vibrating actuator inside of an asymmetrical hull. The vibrations create standing vortices all around the hull’s surface and the vehicle is propelled forward. Here is a link to a more detailed description of the testing, etc. —>
http://www.instructables.com/id/Vortex-Drive-Micro-ROV-ROVVor/
the propulsion method works when the ROV is on the surface or fully submerged. If you skip directly to the video at the link above read the description of what you are seeing and why. I only have one contact in the ROV field and he was very interested in the result, so I figured I would see what others in the ROV community think. I realize that previous bio-inspired ROVs have used flapping fins to create vortices, but this method creates standing vortices through micro-vibrations alone. It might have some advantages in some niche markets, or it might just be an interesting curiosity without much applicability. Thanks for your input!
rovvor_112.jpg 
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