HR: 0800h
AN: IN21B-1175    [Abstracts]
TI: SeaRover: An Emerging Technology for Sea Surface Sensor Networks
AU: * Fong, T
EM: terry.fong@nasa.gov
AF: NASA Ames Research Center, M/S 269-3, Moffett Field, CA 94035 United States
AU: Kudela, R
EM: kudela@ucsc.edu
AF: University of California Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 United States
AU: Curcio, J
EM: curcio@mit.edu
AF: MIT, 77 Massachusetts Avenue Room 5-214, Cambridge, MA 02139 United States
AU: Davidson, K
EM: kldavids@nps.edu
AF: Naval Postgraduate School, Mail Code: MR/Ds, Monterey, CA 93943 United States
AU: Darling, D
EM: ddarling@searobotics.com
AF: SeaRobotics Corporation, P.O. Box 30909, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33420 United States
AU: Kirkwood, B
EM: kiwi@mbari.org
AF: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, 7700 Sandholdt Road, Moss Landing, CA 95039 United States
AB: Introduction - SeaRover is envisioned as an autonomous surface vehicle (ASV) for coastal operations. It is intended to lower the cost of existing marine survey applications while enabling new science missions. The current conceptual design is a small vehicle with hull and propulsion system optimized to eliminate cavitation and EM noise. SeaRover will make significant advances over existing platforms by providing longer duration science missions, better positioning and mission control, larger power budgets for instrumentation and significantly lower operational costs than existing vehicles. Science Enabled by SeaRover - SeaRover's unique design and autonomous capability provides several advantages compared to traditional autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV's) and crewed surface vessels: (1) Near surface sampling: SeaRover can sample within the top 1-2 meters. This is difficult to do with crewed vessels because of draft and perturbations from the hull. (2) Adaptive monitoring of dynamic events: SeaRover will be capable of intelligent decision making, as well as real-time remote control. This will enable highly-responsive autonomous tracking of moving phenomena (e.g., algal bloom). (3) Long term monitoring: SeaRover can be deployed for extended periods of time, allowing it to be used for longitudinal baseline studies. SeaRover will represent an advance over existing platforms in terms of: (1) Mobility: operational range from 10-1000 km, GPS accuracy, trajectory control with meter precision, and launch in hours. (2) Duration: from days up to months. (3) Payload and Power: accommodate approximately 100 kg for a 6m hull. Its surface design will allow access to wind and sun energy. (4) Communication: radio, wireless, satellite, direct data return. (5) Operational Cost: target costs are $2K/day (24 hour operation), with no onboard operator. (6) Recovery/Reusability: autonomous return to safe harbor provides sample return and on-base maintenance. Large science and power payload simplifies instrument design and integration. Enabling Technology for SeaRover - SeaRover's capabilities are made possible by advances in technologies developed during NASA planetary exploration missions: (1) Adaptive control (2) Automated data analysis (3) Communications management (4) Computer vision (5) Interactive 3D User Interfaces (6) Intelligent energy management (7) Long-duration operations planning (8) Multi-vehicle coordinated action As an example of what SeaRover could be used for, we envision augmenting existing monthly monitoring cruises in Monterey Bay with a SeaRover. Each month, the Center for Integrated Marine Technology (UC-Santa Cruz) conducts shipboard surveys of Monterey Bay. This requires 2-3 full days of ship time (weather dependent), 14 scientists, and 2 crew members. Operations are currently limited by sea-state, transit speed, and cost. SeaRover could provide all of the underway measurements and some of the hydrographic station measurements faster, more frequently, and for a fraction of the cost.
DE: 0452 Instruments and techniques
DE: 0933 Remote sensing
DE: 3080 Submergence instruments: ROV, AUV, submersibles
DE: 3339 Ocean/atmosphere interactions (0312, 4504)
DE: 4262 Ocean observing systems
SC: Earth and Space Science Informatics [IN]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005