3,551 research outputs found
Underwater Robots Part I: Current Systems and Problem Pose
International audienceThis paper constitutes the first part of a general overview of underwater robotics. The second part is titled: Underwater Robots Part II: existing solutions and open issues
Underwater robotics in the future of arctic oil and gas operations
Master's thesis in Petroleum engineeringArctic regions have lately been in the centre of increasing attention due to high vulnerability to climate change and the retreat in sea ice cover. Commercial actors are exploring the Arctic for new shipping routes and natural resources while scientific activity is being intensified to provide better understanding of the ecosystems. Marine surveys in the Arctic have traditionally been conducted from research vessels, requiring considerable resources and involving high risks where sea ice is present. Thus, development of low-cost methods for collecting data in extreme areas is of interest for both industrial purposes and environmental management.
The main objective of this thesis is to investigate the use of underwater vehicles as sensor platforms for oil and gas industry applications with focus on seabed mapping and monitoring. Theoretical background and a review of relevant previous studies are provided prior to presentation of the fieldwork, which took place in January 2017 in Kongsfjorden (Svalbard). The fieldwork was a part of the Underwater Robotics and Polar Night Biology course offered at the University Centre in Svalbard. Applied unmanned platforms included remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and an autonomous surface vehicle (ASV). They were equipped with such sensors as side-scan sonar, multi-beam echo sounder, camera and others. The acquired data was processed and used to provide information about the study area.
The carried out analysis of the vehicle performance gives an insight into challenges specific to marine surveys in the Arctic regions, especially during the period of polar night. The discussion is focused on the benefits of underwater robotics and integrated platform surveying in remote and harsh environment. Recommendations for further research and suggestions for application of similar vehicles and sensors are also given in the thesis
Technology Demonstration Report for Underwater Survey Equipment
The underwater equipment technology demonstration report, sponsored by GICHD, provides an evaluation of select commercial technology available for the technical survey of sites contaminated with underwater explosive ordnance.
The report, along with the GICHD online equipment catalogue, will assist nations, donors and operators with the selection of the most appropriate equipment for their specific tasks
Next generation mine countermeasures for the very shallow water zone in support of amphibious operations
This report describes system engineering efforts exploring next generation mine countermeasure (MCM) systems to satisfy high priority capability gaps in the Very Shallow Water (VSW) zone in support of amphibious operations. A thorough exploration of the problem space was conducted, including stakeholder analysis, MCM threat analysis, and current and future MCM capability research. Solution-neutral requirements and functions were developed for a bounded next generation system. Several alternative architecture solutions were developed that included a critical evaluation that compared performance and cost. The resulting MCM system effectively removes the man from the minefield through employment of autonomous capability, reduces operator burden with sensor data fusion and processing, and provides a real-time communication for command and control (C2) support to reduce or eliminate post mission analysis.http://archive.org/details/nextgenerationmi109456968N
Autonomous and remotely operated vehicle technology for hydrothermal vent discovery, exploration, and sampling
Author Posting. © Oceanography Society, 2007. This article is posted here by permission of Oceanography Society for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Oceanography 20, 1 (2007): 152-161.Autonomous and remotely operated underwater vehicles play
complementary roles in the discovery, exploration, and detailed
study of hydrothermal vents. Beginning with clues provided
by towed or lowered instruments, autonomous underwater vehicles
(AUVs) can localize and make preliminary photographic
surveys of vent fields. In addition to finding and photographing
such sites, AUVs excel at providing regional context through
fine-scale bathymetric and magnetic field mapping. Remotely
operated vehicles (ROVs) enable close-up inspection, photomosaicking,
and tasks involving manipulation of samples and
instruments. Increasingly, ROVs are used to conduct in situ
seafloor experiments. ROVs can also be used for fine-scale
bathymetric mapping with excellent results, although AUVs are
usually more efficient in such tasks
The value of remote sensing techniques in supporting effective extrapolation across multiple marine spatial scales
The reporting of ecological phenomena and environmental status routinely required point observations, collected with traditional sampling approaches to be extrapolated to larger reporting scales. This process encompasses difficulties that can quickly entrain significant errors. Remote sensing techniques offer insights and exceptional spatial coverage for observing the marine environment. This review provides guidance on (i) the structures and discontinuities inherent within the extrapolative process, (ii) how to extrapolate effectively across multiple spatial scales, and (iii) remote sensing techniques and data sets that can facilitate this process. This evaluation illustrates that remote sensing techniques are a critical component in extrapolation and likely to underpin the production of high-quality assessments of ecological phenomena and the regional reporting of environmental status. Ultimately, is it hoped that this guidance will aid the production of robust and consistent extrapolations that also make full use of the techniques and data sets that expedite this process
State and Perspectives of Underwater Robotics - Role of Laboratory for Underwater Systems and Technologies
The state and perspectives of underwater robotics is presented. The role and achievements of Laboratory for underwater systems and technologies (LABUST) in this domain is described. Two LABUST
projects are shortly described
Mid-ocean ridge exploration with an autonomous underwater vehicle
Author Posting. © Oceanography Society, 2007. This article is posted here by permission of Oceanography Society for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Oceanography 20, 4 (2007): 52-61.Human-occupied submersibles, towed
vehicles, and tethered remotely operated
vehicles (ROVs) have traditionally been
used to study the deep seafloor. In recent
years, however, autonomous underwater
vehicles (AUVs) have begun to replace
these other vehicles for mapping and
survey missions. AUVs complement the
capabilities of these pre-existing systems,
offering superior mapping capabilities,
improved logistics, and better utilization
of the surface support vessel by allowing
other tasks such as submersible operations,
ROV work, CTD stations, or multibeam
surveys to be performed while the
AUV does its work. AUVs are particularly
well suited to systematic preplanned surveys
using sonars, in situ chemical sensors,
and cameras in the rugged deep-sea
terrain that has been the focus of numerous
scientific expeditions (e.g., those to
mid-ocean ridges and ocean margin settings).
The Autonomous Benthic Explorer
(ABE) is an example of an AUV that has
been used for over 20 cruises sponsored
by the National Science Foundation
(NSF), the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Office of Ocean Exploration (OE), and
international and private sources. This
paper summarizes NOAA OE-sponsored
cruises made to date using ABE
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