Tracking Sharks With Robots

Scientists have been tracking sharks using robots for years However, a new model is able to do this while tracking the animal. The system was created by biologists from Mote Marine Laboratory, and engineers from Harvey Mudd College using components that were readily available.

It has serious gripping power that can withstand pull-off forces that are 340 times its own weight. It can also sense and adjust its pathway based on changing objects in the home.

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles

Autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) are robots that are programmable and depending on the design they can drift or move through the ocean, without any human supervision in real-time. They are equipped with sensors that record water parameters, map and map features of the ocean's geology and habitats, and much more.

They are controlled by a surface ship using Wi-Fi or acoustic links to send data back to the operator. The AUVS can be used to collect any type of spatial or temporal samples and are able to be deployed in large teams to cover more ground than could be done by one vehicle.

Like their land counterparts, AUVs can navigate using GPS and the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) to determine where they are in the world and how far they have been from where they started. This information, along with sensors for the environment that send data to the computer systems onboard, allows AUVs to follow their planned trajectory without losing sight of the goal.

Once a research project is complete, the AUV will be able to float to the surface and then be recovered on the research vessel from which it was launched. A resident AUV could be submerged for months and conduct regular inspections that are pre-programmed. In either case, the AUV will periodically surface to communicate its location using the GPS signal or an acoustic beacon, which are transmitted to the surface ship.

Certain AUVs are able to communicate with their operators continuously via a satellite connection on the research vessel. Scientists are able to continue their research on the ship while the AUV collects data under water. Other AUVs can communicate with their operators only at specific times, for instance, when they have to refill their tanks or check the status of their sensors.

In addition to providing oceanographic information, AUVs can also be utilized to search for underwater resources like minerals and natural gas, according to Free Think. They can also be utilized in response to environmental disasters like tsunamis or oil spills. They can also be used to monitor subsurface volcano activity and also the conditions of marine life, like coral reefs or whale populations.

Curious Robots

Contrary to conventional underwater robotics, which are programmed to search for a specific feature on the ocean floor, the curious underwater robots are designed so that they can scan the ocean floor and adjust to changing conditions. This is crucial because the conditions beneath the waves can be unpredictable. For example, if the temperature of the water suddenly increases it can alter the behavior of marine animals or even lead to an oil spill. Robots that are curious are designed to swiftly and efficiently detect these changes.

One group of researchers is working on an innovative robotic platform that utilizes reinforcement learning to train a robot to be curious about its surroundings. The robot, which appears like a child, complete with yellow jacket and a green arm, is able to spot patterns that could indicate an interesting discovery. It is also able to make decisions based on its past actions. The findings of the study could be used to design an intelligent robot that is capable of learning and adapting to the changing environment.

Other scientists are using curious robots to investigate areas of the ocean that are too dangerous for human divers. For instance, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) has a fascinating robot named WARP-AUV. It is used to search for and study shipwrecks. This robot can identify marine creatures, and discern semi-transparent jellyfish and fish from their dim backgrounds.

It takes years to teach an individual how to be able to do this. The brain of the WARP-AUV has been conditioned by feeding it thousands of images of marine life, so it is able to detect familiar species on its first dive. The WARP-AUV is a marine detective that can also send live images of sea life and underwater scenery to supervisors at the surface.

Other teams are working on creating robots that share the same curiosity as humans. For instance, a team led by the University of Washington's Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering is investigating ways to teach robots to be curious about their surroundings. This team is part of a three-year project by Honda Research Institute USA to develop machines that are curious.

Remote Missions

There are a lot of uncertainties in space missions that could result in mission failure. Scientists don't know for sure how long a mission can last, how well the spacecraft parts will function or if any other objects or forces may affect the operation of the spacecraft. The Remote Agent software is designed to eliminate these uncertainties. It will be able to perform a variety of the difficult tasks that ground control personnel do if they were DS1 at the time of the mission.

The Remote Agent software system consists of a planner/scheduler and an executive. It also has models-based reasoning algorithms. The planner/scheduler creates a set activities based on time and events that are referred to as tokens that are then delivered to the executive. The executive decides on how to use the tokens in an array of commands which are sent directly to spacecraft.

During the experiment during the test, a DS1 crewmember is on hand to resolve any problems that may arise outside of the scope of the test. All regional bureaus must follow Department guidelines for managing records and keep all documentation related to establishing a remote mission.

REMUS SharkCam

Researchers have no idea of the activities of sharks below the surface. Scientists are piercing the blue barrier with an autonomous underwater vehicle called the REMUS SharkCam. The results are incredible and terrifying.

The SharkCam team formed by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, took the torpedo-shaped SharkCam to Guadalupe Island last year to monitor and film great white sharks in their natural habitat. The 13 hours of video footage combined with the visuals of the acoustic tags attached to sharks provide a lot of information about their underwater behavior.

The REMUS sharkCam is manufactured by Hydroid in Pocasset MA, is designed to track the location of a animal that has been tagged without disrupting their behavior or alarming them. It utilizes an omnidirectional ultra-short baseline navigation system to determine the range, bearing, and depth of the Shark AV1010AE IQ Robot Vacuum: Elite Cleaning Smart Navigation (click through the next document), then closes in at a predetermined standoff distance and position (left, right above or below) to capture it swimming and interacting with its surroundings. It communicates with scientists on the surface every 20 seconds, and can respond to commands to alter its relative speed and depth or standoff distance.

When Roger Stokey, REMUS SharkCam developer Roger Stokey, and Edgar Mauricio Hoyos Padilla, Pelagios Kakunja shark robot vacuum with self empty base researcher from Mexico's Marine Conservation Society, first imagined tracking great whites using the self-propelled REMUS SharkCam torpedo, they were worried that the torpedo would interfere with the sharks' movements and may even cause them to flee. Skomal together with his colleagues, reported in a recent article in the Journal of Fish Biology that the SharkCam was able to stand up to nine bumps and bites from great whites that weighed several thousand pounds over the course of a week of research along the coast of Guadalupe.

Researchers have interpreted the interactions between sharks and REMUS SharkCam (which had been tracking four sharks tagged) as predatory behavior. The researchers recorded 30 shark robot mop interactions, including simple bumps and nine bites with a ferocious force.