AUTONOMOUS SURFACE VESSELS FOR AIR-SEA FLUX AND SATELLITE CALIBRATION / VALIDATION STUDIES

1. AUTONOMOUS SURFACE VESSELS FOR AIR-SEA FLUX AND SATELLITE CALIBRATION / VALIDATION STUDIES • Phil McGillivary, USCG Icebreaker Science Liaison philip.a.mcgillivary@uscg.mil • Joeseph A. Curcio, Robotic Marine Systems jacurcio@att.net • Kevin Fall, Intel Research, Berkeley kevin.fall@intel.com • Andy Maffei, WHOI amaffei@whoi.edu • Kurt Schwehr, Center for Coastal Ocean Mapping, UNH kurt.schwehr@ccom.unh.edu • Chris Kitts, Mechanical Engineering, Santa Clara University ckitts@me.scu.edu • Bob Twiggs, Stanford University btwiggs@stanford.edu

2. Why a Self-Positioning Buoy? • Eliminate cost, hassles of cable, swivels, weights, chain, etc. • Simplify/eliminate deployment and servicing costs (ie don’t absolutely require ships) • Reposition automatically or at will to track ‘events’ (eg spring bloom, fronts, etc.) • Redeployable without waiting for ships to be available, no long periods without data • Better for shallow waters, harbors, port security concerns

3. Why a Self-Positioning Buoy? cont’d • US Ocean Commission and NSF Committee on Ocean Sciences at the New Millennium both call for sustained global observations • Currently @2400+ ARGO floats, at @$30K/ea w deployment cost, @800/yr=$24 million (3 yr life) • Lots of Homeland Security port & harbor uses • Ability to coordinate with each other and act in ‘ensemble’ (mini-Armada) precise GPS positioning mode • Cost is @half that of Navy Sonobuoys which are considered expendable • Problems w stability, etc., can be overcome

4. What sorts of ASVs are out there now? DoD/ONR 2005 contracts: 3 companies, all DoD contractors, so…$$$ Aluminum multi-hulls, COTS, $$$: DoD NASA Adaptive Sensor Fleet OASIS Experimental versions: MBARI/SCU Robo-kayak, COTS, cheap hull Fiberglass hulls, moderately expensive

5. Scientific Applications and Research Associates (SARA, Inc.) DoD Gatekeeper offering w MHD power

6. U. Michigan Environmental Monitoring Buoy, part of joint SeaLandAire DoD Gatekeeper Buoy project

7. Falmouth Scientific Solar AUV technology basis for DoD Gatekeeper Buoy

8. Searobotics, Inc. has several types of aluminum-hulled monohulls, catamarans, and multi-hulls, including their High Speed Trimaran shown below, endurance=hours only

9. Searobotics Self-righting Monohull, intended for multibeam, other detailed work, obstacle avoidance,10 hrs @2kts

10. Searobotics Unmanned Survey Vehicle

11. NASA ASF OASIS(Adaptive Sensor Fleet, Ocean Atmosphere Sensor Integrated System) • OASIS intended as @$50K ocean platform for sat cal/val

12. Monohull vs SWATH movement in seas(from Mahacek, 2005)

13. MBARI / Santa Clara Univ.“WASP” SWATH ASV

14. Robo-kayak from Maribotics@4 month endurance, @$30K, real-time multi-vessel GPS positioning

15. CTD Selection SeaBird Electronics SBE-52 • Scientific Data Priority • Power Requirements • Expandable, DO, Turbidity SeaBird Electronics SBE-49

16. Winch System • 100 Meter cable • 4 Strands • Modified COTS Unit • Encoder Feedback • Level Winding System

17. Kayak Modifications

18. BetaBatteries are Tritium-based, 12.3yr ½-life; require intimate contact to work, last 12-20 years. Three sizes, one @ same size as D cell, 25uW initially, 12uW after 12yrs

19. PICOSAT built by Naval AcademyPolar orbit provides 90 min return, 5-10min transmission time

20. PICOSAT footprint

21. Delay Tolerant Networking [DTN] Wireless Protocol • Funded by DARPA, NSA, NASA (for Interplanetary Internet) • Backed by Intel, Microsoft, others • Purpose: communication in noisy or interrupted environments • Achieves increased distance and speed for wireless communications (10-20X for both)

22. Automatic Identification System (AIS) • Joint federal initiative by DHS, NOAA, others (eg Navy) • Intended to allow automated info transfer on vessels before entering port to facilitate security checks • Didn’t initially include either buoys or automated surface vessels: does now • Helps to be ‘legal’