Thursday, August 14, 2008

WHOI robot wraps up first seafloor mapping mission

By Mass High Tech Staff

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An underwater autonomous vehicle developed on Cape Cod has completed its first mission, according to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Instititution.

The robot, called Sentry, is a free-swimming, independent robot capable of operating without tethers or other connections to researchers on a ship, according to WHOI. The robot can dive 3 miles deep and is pre-programmed with guidance for deep-water surveying, but it can also make its own decisions about navigating the seafloor terrain, WHOI said.

On the mission, the Sentry used sonar and WHOI’s TowCam photomapping technology to survey and locate proposed deep-water sites off the coasts of Washington and Oregon for seafloor instruments to be deployed in the National Science Foundation’s Ocean Observatories Initiative. The robot made six dives in July and August, according to WHOI. The robot is designed to swim like a fish or fly like a helicopter through the water.

WHOI collaborated on Sentry with engineers from the University of Washington.

Last month Boston Engineering Corp. and Olin College announced plans to develop a biomimetic “RoboTuna” under a Navy grant.

Also in July, Cambridge-based Bluefin Robotics Corp. landed a contract for its spray glider autonomous underwater vehicle from Horizon Marine Inc.

In June, Bedford-based iRobot Corp. licensed an AUV, the SeaGlider, from the University of Washington.

In May, Woods Hole-based Hydroid LLC sold two AUVs to scientists conducting research on water bodies in the Pacific Northwest.