The GLINT10 field trial results

Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) have gained more interest in recent years for military as well as civilian applications. One potential application of AUVs is for the purpose of undersea surveillance. As research into undersea surveillance using AUVs progresses, issues arise as to how an AUV acquires, acts on, and shares information about the undersea battle space. These issues naturally touch on aspects of vehicle autonomy and underwater communications, and need to be resolved through a spiral development process that includes at sea experimentation. This paper presents a recent AUV implementation for active anti-submarine warfare tested at sea in the summer of 2010. On-board signal processing capabilities and an adaptive behavior are discussed in both a simulation and experimental context. The implications for underwater surveillance using AUVs are discussed

Global assessment of innovative solutions to tackle marine litter

AbstractMarine litter is one of the most relevant pollution problems that our oceans are facing today. Marine litter in our oceans is a major threat to a sustainable planet. Here, we provide a comprehensive analysis of cutting-edge solutions developed globally to prevent, monitor and clean marine litter. Prevention in this research includes only innovative solutions to prevent litter entering oceans and seas rather than interventions such as waste reduction and recycling. On the basis of extensive search and data compilation, our analysis reveals that information is dispersed across platforms and is not easily accessible. In total, 177 solutions—the equivalent to <0.9% of the search hits—fulfilled our validation criteria and were evaluated. Most solutions (n = 106, 60%) primarily address monitoring and were developed during the past 3 years, with the scientific community being the key driver. Few solutions reached mature technical readiness and market availability, while none were validated for efficiency and environmental impact. Looking ahead, we elaborate on the limitations of the existing solutions, the challenges of developing new solutions, and provide recommendations for funding schemes and policy instruments to prevent, monitor and clean marine litter globally. In doing so, we encourage researchers, innovators and policy-makers worldwide to act towards achieving and sustaining a cleaner ocean for future generations

Personal Publication Assistant: Abstract recommendations by a cognitive model

This paper discusses an analysis of how scientists select relevant publications, and an application that can assist scientists in this information selection task. The application, called the Personal Publication Assistant, is based on the assumption that successful information selection is driven by recognizing familiar terms. To adapt itself to a researcher's interests, the system takes into account what words have been used in a particular researcher's abstracts, and when these words have been used. The user model underlying the Personal Publication Assistant is based on a rational analysis of memory, and takes the form of a model of declarative memory as developed for the cognitive architecture ACT-R. We discuss an experiment testing the assumptions of this model and present a user study that validates the implementation of the Personal Publication Assistant. The user study shows that the Personal Publication Assistant can successfully make an initial selection of relevant papers from a large collection of scientific literature. (C) 2008 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved

Developing a User Interface for the iPAM Stroke Rehabilitation System

The increasing population of older people is leading to growing healthcare demands. Stroke is the commonest cause of severe disability in developed countries leaving one third of patients with long term disability. Rehabilitation is the cornerstone of recovery. Lack of rehabilitation manpower resources can limit recovery of limb function. However, technology can assist rehabilitation staff to deliver greater intensity of treatment. Robotic systems such as the iPAM robot can provide semi-automated arm exercises for people with complex impairments leading to loss of functional arm movement. Feedback to the patient about their performance, usability of the exercise "workspace" and motivating exercises are key aspects of the successful deployment of robotic systems within routine clinical use. We describe the development of the patient interface for the iPAM robotic system. Central to this development is user involvement (with rehabilitation professionals and people with stroke). Using user centred design methods which included use of questionnaires and one to one discussions, the user interface was changed from a simple screen showing a stick figure of the arm to a 3D scene with simplified indicators and feedback screens, providing feedback about performance and feedback about the quality of the movement. Patients were positive about the changes to the user interface, confirming that the feedback screens were clear, useful and motivating. The user interface can further be improved by adding more feedback about the quality of the movement

Coastal border control using magnetic field signatures

The present chapter is about coastal border control for threats entering the coastal waters under the water surface. This threat consists mainly of covertly operating submarines. Acoustic sensors are commonly used for the detection of these submarines, as illustrated by the recent (renewed) deployment of networks of acoustic sensors by several Asian nations. However, acoustic conditions in shallow (littoral) water are relatively poor and this increases the importance of other sensors to detect the entering submarine. We review technology for detecting submarines by exploiting their magnetic field signature. Detection of submarines by their magnetic field signature is not new. For example during World War I the first inductive loops were installed on the seafloor in front of English harbours to detect German submarines. A line of mines laid near or in these loops could be triggered after detection of an enemy submarine. In World War II induction loops were used by the Allies to protect about 50 of their harbours worldwide, but all loops were dismantled after the war. Magnetic Anomaly Detection (MAD) from maritime patrol aircraft was introduced in World War II, it was commonly used during the Cold War, and remains an important sensor in modern anti-submarine warfare. Nowadays portable underwater magnetic barriers and swarms of long-endurance UAVs equipped with MAD are a realistic scenario. Is it not time to reconsider induction loops in the control of the underwater coast line, and in particular the entrance to harbours? What is the order of magnitude for the detection thresholds of these systems? Does an optimal geometry exist for the induction loop for harbour control? Which sources on board the submarine are related to the magnetic signature, and which level of variation of the recorded signature can be expected? These questions will be addressed in the present chapter by using open sources and some basic calculations.