HR: 1340h
AN: OS43B-0560    [Abstracts]
TI: Hybrid Robotic Vehicle of Operations at 11,000 meters: Project Progress to Date
AU: * Bowen, A
EM: abowen@whoi.edu
AF: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 360 Woods Hole Rd., Woods Hole, MA 02543 United States
AU: Whitcomb, L L
EM: llw@jhu.edu
AF: Johns Hopkins University, Whiting School of Engineering 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218 United States
AU: Yoerger, D
AF: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 360 Woods Hole Rd., Woods Hole, MA 02543 United States
AB: The National Science Foundation, Office of Naval Research and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have teamed together to fund Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for the design and construction of a novel robotic vehicle capable of operating in water depths of up to 11,000 meters. The vehicle, which combines the attributes of both an autonomous and tethered vehicle is appropriately termed a hybrid remotely operated vehicle or HROV. The operational paradigm for this vehicle will require that the system be cable of operating as either an autonomous or tethered system. In its autonomous mode, the HROV will be capable of gathering large area sonar and photographic survey data. Once the mapping information has been analyzed aboard the support vessel and specific areas of interest identified, the vehicle is converted to operate as a tethered vehicle. The tether is based on US Navy work with small diameter fiber optic micro-cable that will be adapted to this application. In both modes of operation, the vehicle will be battery powered. The fiber tether only provides a real-time data link between the vehicle and operators for the purpose of conducting highly interactive operations such as manipulation and sampling. Because of the extreme pressures at 11,000 meters and a desire to limit the size and cost of the vehicle, use of new materials and techniques will be required such as alumina ceramics for pressure cases and flotation and light emitting diodes for illumination. Funding for this project began in 2003 and many of the higher risk elements of the project are well underway. Trial deployment of the vehicle to Challenger Deep of the Marianas Trench is expected in late 2006.
DE: 9805 Instruments useful in three or more fields
DE: 4294 Instruments and techniques
SC: Ocean Sciences [OS]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting