Welcome to underwater robotics news

 

Image: Solar-powered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (SAUV)

 

A new solar-powered underwater robot technology developed for undersea observation and water monitoring will be showcased at a Sept. 16 workshop on leading-edge robotics to be held at the National Science Foundation (NSF) in Arlington, Va.

Arthur C. Sanderson, professor of electrical, computer, and systems engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, will display the robotic technology being developed by a team of research groups, including Rensselaer, and led by the Autonomous Undersea Systems Institute directed by D. Richard Blidberg.
Sanderson also will participate on a panel of six robotics experts who recently completed a study to be released at the Sept. 16 workshop. The World Technology Evaluation Center International Study of Robotics is a two-year look at robotics research and development in the United States, Japan, Korea, and Western Europe.
As the principal investigator of an NSF-funded project called RiverNet, Sanderson is working collaboratively with other researchers to develop a network of distributed sensing devices and water-monitoring robots, including the first solar-powered autonomous underwater vehicles (SAUVs).
“Once fully realized, this underwater robot technology will allow better observation and monitoring of complex aquatic systems, and will support advances in basic environmental science as well as applications to environmental management and security and defense programs,” said Sanderson.
The SAUV technology allows underwater robots to be deployed long-term by using solar power to replenish onboard energy. Long-term deployment of SAUVs will allow detection of chemical and biological trends in lakes, rivers, and waterways that may guide the management and improvement of water quality. Autonomous underwater vehicles equipped with sensors are currently used for water monitoring, but must be taken out of the water frequently to recharge the batteries.
According to Sanderson, the SAUVs communicate and network with one another in real time to assess a water body as a whole in measuring how it changes over space and time. Key technologies used in SAUVs include integrated sensor microsystems, pervasive computing, wireless communications, and sensor mobility with robotics. Sanderson notes that the underwater vehicles have captured the attention of the U.S. Navy, which will evaluate their use for coastal surveillance applications.
The SAUV weighs 370 pounds, travels at speeds of up to 2 miles per hour, and is designed to dive to depths of 500 meters.
Sanderson and his colleagues will continue field testing the vehicles in coming months at locations including Rensselaer’s Darrin Fresh Water Institute on Lake George, N.Y., to determine communication, interaction, and maneuvering capabilities in testing dissolved oxygen levels, one of the most important indicators of water quality for aquatic life.
Sanderson is collaborating on SAUV development with the Autonomous Undersea Systems Institute, Falmouth Scientific Inc., the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, and Technology Systems Inc.

The Sept. 16 workshop is sponsored by NSF, NASA, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The international robotics study was organized by the World Technology Evaluation Center, a United States-based organization conducting international research assessments.
“This gathering of researchers and their robots shows the necessity of federal support for basic research that leads to new technologies with useful applications in health care, the environment, and industry,” said Sanderson.

-Source: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

ROV Jason Images the Discovery of the Deepest Explosive Eruption on the Sea Floor

ROV Jason Images the Discovery of the Deepest Explosive Eruption on the Sea Floor May 2009 Oceanographers using the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Jason discovered and recorded the first video and still images of a deep-sea volcano actively erupting molten lava on the seafloor. Jason, designed and operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for the National Deep Submergence Facility, utilized a prototype, high-definition still and video camera to capture the powerful event nearly 4,000 feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, in an area bounded by Fiji, Tonga and Samoa.

» Read the WHOI news releaseWest Mata Eruption, 2009 (Clip 1) (Courtesy NSF, NOAA, and WHOI Advanced Imaging and Visualization Lab) » View Video (Quicktime) West Mata Eruption, 2009 (Clip 2) Courtesy NSF, NOAA, and WHOI Advanced Imaging and Visualization Lab » View Video (Quicktime)  

 

 

Underwater Bot Roams the Seas: Spray is launched from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution vessel.

Oceangoing underwater robots are the new fish in the sea scientists are using to explore Earth's final frontier. The water bots are gathering data that could provide valuable insights into climate change and other environmental concerns.

Spray, one of these new autonomous underwater vehicles, or AUVs, left Bermuda in late March. It will head to New England to explore the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic before returning to Bermuda sometime in July. The voyage will be the first long-distance round-trip mission undertaken by the 6-foot-long craft.

Looking like an orange torpedo with stubby wings, Spray contains no moving parts. It can run silently at 3,300 feet underwater taking temperature, salinity and biomass measurements.
"It's an underwater glider that moves up and down the water column," said Breck Owens, a senior scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Last year Spray was the first AUV to cross the Gulf Stream from Bermuda to New England, a one-way trip.

For the mission currently underway, Spray's main purpose is to get the first 3,000-foot-deep temperature and salinity measurements in the Gulf Stream and the North Atlantic thermohaline current, which are key drivers in the climate of the Northern Hemisphere. Spray's data will help determine if the massive amount of ice melting in the Arctic region is affecting these currents. Slowing of the thermohaline current has been linked to abrupt climate change.

Researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography are taking similar measurements in another vehicle in the South Pacific to help predict El Niño events, Owens said. Yet another AUV will explore under the Arctic ice, and Owens believes others could be used in fisheries management to determine nutrient levels for fish in the waters at various depths.

Spray moves by altering its buoyancy. To descend, Spray uses a hydraulic pump to move 4 cups of mineral oil from a bladder outside the pressurized hull into one on the inside. The oil's shift decreases the glider's volume, making it denser than surrounding water and causing it to glide downward. The reverse increases the vessel's buoyancy, and it rises.

To control Spray's pitch, or angle of ascent or descent, the 26-pound lithium battery pack, the craft's sole energy source, shifts to tilt the weight within the vehicle.
"It operates like a hang glider, with the battery pack taking the place of a person," Owens said.
Spray uses very little energy as it leisurely descends to 3,300 feet and ascends to the surface three times a day, covering roughly 12 miles. It stays on the surface for 15 minutes to take a GPS reading and to phone home through the Iridium satellite phone network to relay its location and the data collected.

While on the surface, Spray also receives e-mail messages from Owens for course adjustments to avoid rip currents or other obstacles. Storms pose little problem underwater, but strong currents are a major challenge for the 112-pound glider.

"It's like swimming in a rip current. You have (to) swim perpendicular to the current," Owens said.
Spray is smart enough to calculate its location and direction when pushed along by currents underwater using dead reckoning, according to Owens.

However, fishing nets can pose a problem. And surface vessels have created difficulties. Last year another Spray -- there are several versions in use -- operated by Scripps was run over by a boat when it surfaced off the coast. According to Owens, the half-inch aluminum hull was split and a wing was torn off.

Five years from now, Owens expects there will be hundreds if not thousands of similar underwater robots going where no one has gone before. One reason is that Spray is relatively low-cost at $70,000. And Spray can travel up to 3,500 miles on its batteries, enough for a voyage next year that Owens' research team is planning which will take the craft from Greenland to Spain.
"Oceanographers are starved for data," Owens said. "We're trying to build Model Ts here, not space shuttles."

NOAA evaluating use of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles for use on coastal survey: octobre, 2009

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV), also known as unmanned underwater vehicles, can be used to perform underwater survey missions such as detecting and mapping submerged wrecks, rocks, and obstructions that pose a hazard to navigation for commercial and recreational vessels. The AUV conducts its survey mission without operator intervention. When a mission is complete, the AUV will return to a pre-programmed location and the data collected can be downloaded and processed in the same way as data collected by shipboard systems.

AUVs can be equipped with a wide variety of oceanographic sensors or sonar systems. NOAA’s hydrographic survey AUVs are typically equipped with side scan sonar, Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) sensors, GPS-aided Inertial Navigation Systems (INS), and an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP).

Currently, NOAA’s Coast Survey Development Lab is evaluating the use of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) as tools for hydrographic surveying in support of NOAA’s nautical charting mission. The use of AUVs, in collaboration with NOAA’s manned survey fleet, could greatly increase survey efficiency. Additionally, AUVs could be used for marine incident response and port security surveys due to their small size and flexible deployment options.

 

Except for the external bladder and measurement sensors, located in a plastic tail section, all parts are encased inside a thin, 8-millimeter (1/4-inch) aluminum hull. Several components allow the glider to move vertically and horizontally in the water as it dives repeatedly from the surface.

In the forward section of the glider, three batteries provide the instrument power and help it to control its orientation. The electronics bay houses computer components, the CTD instrument, a GPS receiver, and a satellite transmitter used for communications with researchers.

Spray Gliders have no external moving parts or motors. Instead, they move on a pre-programmed course vertically and horizontally in the water by pumping mineral oil between two bladders, one internal and the other external to the hull. This action changes the volume of the glider, making it denser or lighter than the surrounding water.

Note: in the diagram, the section aft of the wings is rotated by 90° to show the vertical tail. (Illustration by Jayne Doucette, WHOI)

*What’s the difference between an AUV and a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV)?
AUVs operate independently of the ship and have no connecting cables.

Source, NOAA

 

Intelligent Autonomous Underwater Vehicle r2D4 for Deep-Sea Operation

Since 1984, Underwater Technology Research Center (Head: Professor Tamaki Ura), Institute of Industrial Science, the University of Tokyo has developed several Autonomous Underwater Vehicles(AUV, see #1) of various types and purposes (refer to http://underwater.iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp) and successfully achieved a few meaningful undersea missions. Some of representative examples are the full autonomous survey of Teisi knoll by the AUV "R-One" (see #2) in 2000, construction and field operation of Tantan, which was developed by the environments monitoring of lake Biwa in the middle of Honshu, Japan and experiment of humpback whale chase by AUV. As these examples explain, we are still challenging to broaden the practical applications of autonomous underwater vehicles. By these efforts, as the intelligent machine exploring the underwater region, AUV is becoming more and more a practical mean to survey and exploit the mysteries of undersea realm.

Based on the successes in development and field operations of AUVs in IIS, the university of Tokyo, we established a next generation AUV project named "r2D4" (see #3). This project is supported by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science(JSPS), as a scientific research awarded project grants-in-aid for "Development of Intelligent Autonomous Underwater Vehicle for Deep-Sea Operation" (see #4).

Purposes of this projects are summarized as follows; - After developing a highly-intelligent and highly-reliable AUV, it is deployed in the undersea region with the mission of surveying undersea hydrothermal vents. - During this survey mission, not only survey data containing the records of surrounding physical states near the vent spout, but the sequential data from vehicle operation are also recorded and fed back in order to improve the system architecture of r2D4 by getting rid of the expected problems for deep-sea operation. Repititions of this feedback procedure shall make r2D4 converge to the optimized system architecture for deep-sea hydrothermal vent exploration and result in the newly proposed undersea region survey system supported by the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle r2D4.

Costruction of hardware system as well as primary software system are completed in July, 2003 (Hardware Construction: Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding(MES), Co., Ltd.). The first field operation was conducted at the nothern part of Suruga bay, dated 7th July. During 15th - 17th July, the second field operation was held at the offing of Sado island, located in sea of Japan. This field work was done by the joint cooperation with underwater device department of MES. During this underwater operation, r2D4 tracked the pre-designated way points keeping the trajectory deviation sufficiently small. Due to the successfully achieved trajectory tracking control, r2D4 succeeded in taking the high-quality images of undersea geography by the side scanning sonar operation. In addition, measurement of CTDO was also carried out during this operation.

Though the main purpose of development is the survey of undersea hydrothermal vent, deployment of r2D4 is expected to enable several undersea missions such as seeking for lost articles in undersea, surveillance of undersea volcanoes, swimming animals watching, cooperative survey with undersea station and etc., because it has realized the handy system architecture with small size. And in december 2003, r2D4 is planned to be deployed in the Okinawa trough in order to survey the underwater hydrothermal vent near that region.

2. Introduction to r2D4

In the development of r2D4, key technologies acquired throught the development of R-One, the predecessor of r2D4, is directly applied. Owing to this technical inheritance, r2D4 is completed only within two(2) years with excellent vehicle performances, which is extremely short period compared to other AUV development projects in the world.

1) Characteristics of r2D4

Compact size and light weight (length overall: 4.4(m), weight: 1,600(kg))
Due to its compactness, r2D4 does not require the large size support vessel. And since its operation can be completed fully autonomously, neither does it require operational experts.
Self-Completeness
Laborious supports such as transponder installation are not neccessary
Accurate positioning by the combined instrumentation of optical gyroscope and doppler sonar
High reliability and safety
By the simultaneous manipulation of the data from multiple sensors(sensor fusion)
r2D4 has superior recongnition ability on the complicated underwater environments transition
Flexible and dynamically adaptive path planning ability for the observation.
If the vehicle finds out a suspicious place or an object in underwaer space, it can re-generate the target path dynamically in order to make this observation.

2) General Missions of r2D4

Observation by AUV is realized by tracing the successive way poionts arranged previously. One of the most common observation activities by AUV is the construction of 3-dimensional seabed topology or wide-range surveillance of undersea region using side scanning or interferometry sonar. Provided an abnormality is detected during the observation, r2D4 re-plans its cruising trajectory and makes the detailed observation in order to clarify the causes of recognized abnormality.

3) Comparion with "R-One", the predecessor of r2D4
Since it is designed compact and small, r2D4 does not require a support vessel which has several functional capabilities. Despite its compactness, r2D4 has much redundancy in its payload to install various equipments for observation. R2D4 is designed to be capable of submerging up to 4,000(m) of depth, aiming at the observation of undersea hydrothermal vent near Marina trough in midwest Pacific.

In the following table, we summaraize key items of r2D4 compared with those of R-One
Items r2D4 R-One
length overall(m) 4.4 8.27
breadth (m) 1.08 1.15
height (m) 0.81 1.15
weight (kg) (w/o payload) 1,506 4,550
weight (kg) (w payload) 1,630 4,740
max depth (m) 4,000 400
cruising range (km) 60 100
energy source Li-ion secondary battery CCDE
max speed (knot) 3 3
Main CPU PowerPC 233MHz MC68040x2
OS VxWorks VxWorks
navigation system INS(FOG)+DVL INS(RLG)+DVL

4) Observation and Instrument Devices
Not only the device units of generl purpose, r2D4 is able to be equipped with special devices for detailed observation and instrument near hydrothermal vent region, as shown.

* Side Scanning Sonar * Interferometry Sonar (accuracy order of 1(m))
* Video Camera x 2 * Oxidization-Reduction Voltage Meter
* 3-Axes Magnetometer * Manganese Ion Desitometer
* pH Sensor * Turbidimeter
* Thermal Flow Meter * Oxygen Densitometer

3. Outline of the Experiments on Suruga-Bay and Sado-Offing

Feedback from the experimental results in actual sea area is extremely important for the improvement of vehicle's performance. Therefore, we are planning a few field experiments of r2D4 since its primary software system as well as the hardware has been completed. During July in this year, we have made two (2) field experiments and obtained the data from as well as images of side scanning sonar. Analysis of the obtained data is the procedure of fundamental importance to improve the performance of AUV.

operation
ID place date max depth purpose
#1 northern part of Suruga-bay 10:26 - 11:01, 7th July, 2003 194(m) observation of the upper part of continetal shelf, 30(m) altitude
#2 northern part of Suruga-bay 11:13 - 12:07, 7th July, 2003 444(m) observation of the upper part of continetal shelf, 30(m) altitude
#3 Ryotsu, Sado-island in sea of Japan 12:10 - 14:06, 15th July, 2003 280(m) observation of the middle part Ryotsu-bay, 70(m) altitude
#4 Ryotsu, Sado-island in sea of Japan 11:59 - 16:43, 18th July, 2003 550(m) observation of a dislocation Ryotsu-bay, 50(m) altitude
#5 Ryotsu, Sado-island in sea of Japan 10:37 - 14:36, 19th July, 2003 418(m) observation of a dislocation Ryotsu-bay, 30(m) altitude

4. R2D4 - Expectations

Operation of r2D4 will enable the observation of undersea hydrothermal vent over a wide range. This kind of observation is expected to gather the fundamental data for the investigation of undersea carbondioxide discharge and hydrothermal spout, which will help us to understand the global circulation mechanism of them better. In addition, completion of r2D4 has brought about the installation of new oceanographic observation platform. Small and compact system architecture of r2D4 will enable the better achievement of various underwater missions, such as searching for the underwater lost articles, surveillance of underwater volcanoes, observation of sea animals, instrumentation of seawater quality as well as the observation of undersea hydrothermal vents.

5. Future Activities

At present, r2D4 is planned to carry out the following undersea observation activities.
2003
July : Sado-offing observation (completed, with the support vessel of Tansei-Maru belonging to the Ocean Research Institute, the University of Japan)
December : The 4-th Yonaguni-kaizan and Hatoma-kaizan observation (with the support vessel of Yokosuka, JAMSTEC)
2004
Observation of undersea hydrothermal vent near Mariana basin (with the support vessel of Hakuho-maru belonging to Ocean Research Institute, the University of Tokyo)
2005
Not decided yet
2006
Observation of undersea hydrothermal vent near Mariana basin (with the support vessel of Hakuho-maru belonging to Ocean Research Institute, the University of Tokyo)
Observation of Mid Ridge in Indian Ocean (with the support vessel of Hakuho-maru belonging to Ocean Research Institute, the University of Tokyo)

Observation in Kumanonada-offing is also planned in conjunction with the SMAPS(Super-detailed Mapping of Seafloor) project. In addition, observation of whale (Humpback, Sperm, etc.)by r2D4 is under consideration too.

Linked Data
Photos of r2D4
General Arrangement of r2D4
Navigation Trajectory during Sado-offing Observation
Side Scanning Sonar Images of Sado-Offing-1
Side Scanning Sonar Images of Sado-Offing-2
Schematics of the Undersea Intelligence Engineering and its Missions

#1) Autonomous Underwater Vehicle(AUV):
Unmanned, untethered submersible which moves according to the guidance by its own control system without the energy replenishment during the mission At present, majority of the unmanned submersible is ROV(Remotely Operating Vehicle) which is remotely operated one by human operators through the cable connection with the support vessel. But the utilization of AUV is expected to be more and more popular, because the treatment of cable system becomes extremely troublesome as the depth of operation becomes deeper.

#2) AUV R-One
R-One was developed by the joint cooperation between IIS, the University of Tokyo and Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. Actual sea operation of R-One began in 1996 and in 1998, R-One achieved the continuous operation during 12 hrs 37 mins. In 2000, R-One took the very fine side scanning sonar images of Teisi knoll in Ito-offing by the fully-autonomous vehicle operation.

#3) R-Two Project
In the terminology of "R-Two(or R-One)", "R" represents the Ridge System coming from Mid-Ocean Ridge. The first project of this is R-One, and R-Two is the successive project launched secondarily. In addition, "D4" means the maximum submergible depth of the vehicle, which is 4,000(m).

#4) "Development of Intelligent Autonomous Underwater Vehicle for Ridge System Survey in Deep Sea"
Research group for this awarded project is consists of the researchers from both engineering and scientific fields. Researchers from engineering fields are working for the underwater technology research center, institute of industrial science, the university of Tokyo. Other researchers from scientific fields consist of experts in underwater hydrothermal vents in Japan.
name institute major research items
Tamaki Ura IIS, the University of Tokyo Underwater Vehicle Project Manager, Research and Design of AUV
Akira Asada IIS, the University of Tokyo Underwater Acoustics Sonar System for AUV
Teruo Fujii IIS, the University of Tokyo Underwater Acoustics Intelligent Control
Yoshiaki Nose IIS, the University of Tokyo Mechanical System of AUV
Kensaku Tamaki Ocean Research Institute,
the University of Tokyo Earth Tectonics Observation of Undersea Bottom Structure
Toshitaka Gamo Graduate School of Science,
Hokkaido University Oceanographic Geochemistry Instrument for Chemical Measurement in Hydrothermal Vent
Hiromi Fujimoto Graduate School of Science,
Tohoku University Undersea Physics Analysis of Undersea Magnetization Structure
Kouichi Nakamura Institute for Marine Resources
and Environment,
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) Ocean Geology Instrument for Chemical Measurement in Hydrothermal Vent

What's New at SAAB Seaeye:

 

FALCON PICKED FOR ICEBREAKERS

Two newly designed Russian icebreakers are sharing a Saab Seaeye Falcon ROV for pipeline operations in the Barents Sea.

Housed in a dedicated control container, the Falcon is passed between the ships as they undertake pipeline survey and inspection work, along with diving support tasks.

The specially designed container was created and manufactured by Tetis Pro, Saab Seaeye’s Russian distributor, and the largest company in Russia to specialise in the design, construction and supply of diving and subsea equipment.

The two new diesel-electric icebreakers, St Petersburg and Moscow, are built to an advanced hull design that improves seaworthiness in hostile sea-states and needs less power input during icebreaking operations.

The Falcon’s ability to work in demanding conditions and powerful currents, despite its compact size, is one of many reasons why Tetis Pro chose this highly successful vehicle.

Nothing matches the Falcon,’ declares Dmitry Voytov Head of ROV at Tetis Pro. ‘It is simple to use, light to man-handle, and fast to deploy. Upgrade is easy,and various tooling skids can be added and changed as needed.’

He explains that in addition to undertaking survey and inspection work, the Falcon supplied to the icebreakers is fitted with a detachable five-stage manipulator skid for light work tasks, along with preparing

“Nothing matches the Falcon”

Dimitry Voytov
Head of ROV at Tetis Pro

underwater cargo ready for lifting.

It is the fifth Falcon supplied to Russian customers through Tetis Pro. Others are currently engaged in pipeline free-span monitoring, mine detection prior to pipe-laying, marine biology work and deployment within the Russian Navy.
Moscow-based Tetis Pro was founded in 1991 and not only designs, manufactures and supplies diving and subsea equipment, but has pioneered the concept of containerised diving systems in Russia.

Saab Seaeye is the world’s largest manufacturer of electric ROVs and supplies systems to the oil and gas industry, defence forces, marine science and hydro engineering. Its parent company, Saab Underwater Systems, is itself a world leader in sensor systems, precision engagement systems, and remotely operated and autonomous underwater vehicles.

For more information contact:

Chris@Roperresources.com

Dmitry Voytov
Head of ROV Department
JSC Tetis Pro
007 495 786 98 56
rov@tetis-pro.ru
www.tetis-pro.ru