Our autonomous systems are capable of continuously monitoring ocean health in real time. Understanding the complex physical and biological processes that sustain marine ecosystems, and ultimately human well-being too, requires robust observing systems. Reducing barriers to accessing the ocean is critical. The ocean faces a rising tide of threats, and it is more urgent than ever to mobilize a wide variety of science and engineering efforts for ocean exploration. Even if they do, operating those platforms is expensive. Not all research institutions have access to a ship. The LRAUV team is also working towards carbon-free operations in the near future.Ĭritically, shipless deployments help expand access to the ocean. Our new docking station recharges vehicles with energy harvested from the sun. When launched from land, the battery-powered LRAUV is an emissions-free tool. Technologies that can be deployed from shore have a smaller carbon footprint. Shipless operations are more nimble and also better for the environment. Launching and recovering the LRAUV from shore instead of from a ship frees up research vessels to host the complicated expeditions that they are best suited for. After it completed its mission, the LRAUV returned to Hobson and Kieft who then secured the vehicle on its cart again and rolled it back on to the beach in the crashing waves. Once afloat in the surf, Hobson and Kieft unstrapped the robot from its cart and released the vehicle to complete a short mission out to sea.
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Mechanical Engineer Brett Hobson and Software Engineer Brian Kieft donned wetsuits and gently rolled the LRAUV into the water while Software Engineer Tom O’Reilly kept watch from shore. The team wheeled the robot to the beach on a durable cart outfitted with all-terrain tires for easy maneuvering across the sand. Engineers Brett Hobson and Brian Kieft recover a Tethys-class LRAUV in Moss Landing, California, after a successful deployment from shore and mission at sea.
In December 2022, MBARI engineers ran the first deployment of the LRAUV from the beach outside MBARI’s research facilities in Moss Landing, California.
Since then, MBARI has been routinely launching LRAUVs from beaches and piers along the coast of California and the Great Lakes. It was not until 2017 that the first fully ship-free operations began during a collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) using the LRAUV to monitor blooms of toxic algae. However, the early deployments still required small boats to launch the vehicle. Each carries a unique payload for water sampling, microbial analysis, acoustics, or imaging.įrom the start, MBARI engineers designed the LRAUV to function without a host ship. It collects information about the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of its surroundings. Designed from scratch by MBARI engineers, it travels through the water without direct control from shore. The LRAUV is about two meters (6.6 feet) long and weighs 110 kilograms (242.5 pounds).
Mechanical Engineer Brett Hobson-principal investigator and project manager for MBARI’s Long-Range AUV team-inspects a Tethys-class LRAUV before launch from the beach adjacent to MBARI’s research facilities. MBARI’s long-range autonomous vehicle (LRAUV) is a nimble robot that can be deployed from beaches, piers, and small boats to run complex missions on its own for weeks to months. MBARI engineers have been developing ocean science robots that work independently of ships. Institutions must invest in their own fleet and crew or rely on shared vessels, where demand greatly exceeds capacity.Īutonomous robots are essential to the future of ocean science and exploration. But going to sea on a research ship requires substantial resources. Research vessels provide a critical platform for exploring the ocean. To understand the massive marine environment, scientists need research tools that can travel far and wide. The ocean covers more than 70 percent of the planet’s surface and its expansive depths represent the largest living space on Earth.
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