International: Underwater Archeology via Robotic Systems

在国际学生研究体验基金(IRES)的支持下，加州理工州立大学的工程专业学生将前往马耳他和意大利，与马耳他考古学家合作调查以前未被探索的水下考古遗址，包括绘制位于堡垒、私人住宅和教堂下面的沿海沉船和古代蓄水池的地图。使用配备声纳的遥控潜水器(ROV)，学生将开发(1)构建3D地图的同步定位和测绘(SLAM)算法，以及(2)用于水下机器人应用的新3D可视化技术。在研究活动的同时，学生们将参加一门全球工程课程，该课程通过多个国家的背景探索研究、教育和合作的历史、考古和文化方面。研究活动汇集了一个由考古学家、机器人和可视化专家组成的国际团队，并产生了一系列更广泛的影响。例如，通过系统地调查蓄水池，调查人员能够更好地了解马耳他古代蓄水系统的发展，并随后为当前的水管理战略和政策提供信息。开发的机器人和可视化技术也将与海洋学、生物学、国土安全和国防的应用相关。在整个项目中，学生调查员将向多个受众传达他们的结果，包括加利福尼亚州圣路易斯奥比斯波帕切科小学的双语英语和西班牙语学生。

With support from this International Research Experience for Students (IRES) grant, engineering students from California Polytechnic State University will travel to Malta and Italy to collaborate with Maltese archaeologists to investigate previously unexplored underwater archaeological sites, including the mapping of coastal shipwrecks and ancient cisterns located beneath fortresses, private homes, and churches. Using sonar-equipped Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV), students will develop (1) Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) algorithms to construct 3D maps, and (2) new 3D visualization techniques for underwater robotics applications. In parallel with the research activities, students will participate in a Global Engineering course that explores the historical, archaeological and cultural aspects of research, education and collaboration through multiple national contexts.The research activities bring together an international team of archaeologists, robotics and visualization experts and has a range of broader impacts. For example, by systematically surveying cisterns, investigators are better able to understand the development of Malta's ancient water storage systems and subsequently inform current water management strategy and policy. The robotics and visualization technology developed will also be relevant to applications in oceanography, biology, homeland security and defense. Throughout the project, student investigators will communicate their results to multiple audiences, including bilingual English and Spanish students at Pacheco Elementary School in San Luis Obispo, CA.