Exploring the ocean is a time-consuming and expensive task. Small, autonomous submarines have enhanced the effort in the last couple of decades, but are still incredibly inefficient, when there is so much ocean to survey. The problem is that AUVs cannot travel very far from the mother ship and because they are alone, can only provide a narrow range of data.
But a fleet of these vehicle working in tandem could bring underwater exploration into the new millennium.
European researchers have developed a new technology that will allow autonomous underwater vehicles to work together as a team. The Grex Project -- "Grex" is the Latin word for herd or flock -- could greatly expand an underwater vehicles capabilities to explore the ocean, 90 percent of which remains a complete mystery to science.
For starters, a group of subs could be networked in a way that allows a signal from the mother ship to bounce from one AUV to the next and back again. That would give the vehicles greater range and allow them to cover bigger areas.
A networked team of AUVs would also be able to map a larger area of the ocean in one sweep, instead of passing back and forth, lawnmower style, over a smaller patch.
The nice thing about this project is that the team has developed a "GREX box," which is essentially a communications package that can retrofitted onto existing AUVs. That would allow subs already employed in underwater research to team up with other subs to do more extensive scientific research, including mapping the ocean floor or studying hydrothermal vents.
A team of networked AUVs would also be effective in the oil industry, which currently uses remotely operated unmanned vehicles controlled by a cable connected to a supply ship. The subs are used to inspect offshore pipelines and, as we are seeing with the Gulf disaster, to conduct operations on deepwater wells.
More AUVs from this research could mean safer offshore oil drilling. Of course, with all the problems associated with offshore oil drilling, truly safe offshore oil drilling may not exist, but that is another blog for another day.
The Grex project is still in the early stages of development, but commercial partners plan to have a complete system in three or four years that includes a GREX box, software, installation and training.
Photo: iStockPhoto
Tags: Autonomous Robots, Communication, Computer Networking, Robotics, Robots
comments ( )