PrincetonUniversity
 

Schools of vehicles seek ocean data

by Steven Schultz
In research inspired by the graceful coordination of fish schools, a team of Princeton University engineers is participating in a month-long robotics experiment that involves launching fleets of autonomous underwater vehicles into the Pacific Ocean.

The researchers are testing the vehicles’ ability to move in formation through the water while mapping ocean currents and tracking marine microorganisms. The work, sponsored by the Office of Naval Research, could yield benefits for a wide range of fields from climate and ecological research to military surveillance.

The project, called the Autonomous Ocean Sampling Network, is taking place in California’s Monterey Bay and is the largest and most complex effort ever to test an entire fleet of autonomous underwater vehicles, while collecting real data about conditions under the sea. As many as 15 underwater gliders, each about six feet long and weighing more than 100 pounds, are making coordinated sweeps through Monterey Bay, with some heading more than 25 miles from shore and diving to depths of 3,000 feet.

The experiment is a multi-institutional collaboration involving a unique mix of biologists, ecologists, oceanographers and engineers. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute is hosting and coordinating the experiment, which includes 10 other universities and research institutions. The Princeton team, led by Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Naomi Leonard, is responsible for programming the gliders to move in formation while making their own decisions about where to go to collect the best possible data.

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Princeton engineers are participating in a month-long field experiment that involves launching schools of autonomous underwater vehicles into the Pacific Ocean. Onboard a research ship in Monterey Bay, Calif., are (from left) graduate student Edward Fiorelli, Professor Naomi Leonard and research associate Ralf Bachmayer, all members of the Princeton Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

photo: Todd Walsh/Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute