I-Corps: Mobile Autonomous Remotely Controlled Observation Node (MARCON) Kit

目前的海洋实地研究活动以研究船模式为主。自主水下航行器（AUV）现在已经可以使用，并且已经成熟用于海洋传感，但是范围有限，并且有效载荷能力和持续时间有限。需要改进海洋机器人技术及其与载人系统（研究船）的耦合，以加快远洋船舶活动。所提出的创新是使移动的网络（多智能体系统）的高速，高功率的机器人表面车辆配备有传感器（真实的时间感测）和新颖的机器人采样器后样本处理。机器人水面船只由拟议的自动化套件MARCON：（移动的，自主和远程控制的观测节点）启用，这是一种更便宜，更轻便和开源的水面车辆自动化系统。这项技术更广泛的影响是它能够影响数据收集和各种参数的质量，以了解任何水生生态系统。由于将观测从实验室转移到分散的环境中，水道自动制图的市场正在增长。实施快速自动绘制关键和新参数不仅会影响生态系统的管理，而且可以减少时间和成本，从而提高环境管理进程的效率，拟议技术的知识价值是它能够改变海洋/湖泊/河流观测领域。此外，基于船舶的研究中的不足之处，如时间和空间的混叠，有效的大面积覆盖，人类在海上的压力，在水上缺乏持久性，以及在大面积上自适应响应的能力，都可以通过机器人增强船舶操作来改善。美国的海洋研究人员将从这项工作中受益。此外，还将提高适应性地应对锋面、水华、极端事件（飓风、放射性释放等）和石油泄漏的能力。使这些拟议的套件可供市场使用的关键特征包括：分布式机器人水面车辆车队，以实现新的研究船系统;用于快速传感/采样水道和最大传感器托管功率的机器人车辆;自动化高内容数据生成和可视化的端端解决方案;先进的自适应传感和采样方法;可访问的开源技术，用于快速采用和推广自动化套件和船平台。

Current ocean field research activity is dominated by the Research Vessel paradigm. Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) are now available and have been maturing for ocean sensing but are range limited plus have limits in payload capacity and duration. Improvements in ocean robotics and their coupling to manned systems (research vessels) are needed in order to accelerate ocean going ship activities. The proposed innovation is to enable mobile networks (multi-agent system) of high speed, high power robotic surface vehicles outfitted with sensors (real time sensing) and novel robotic samplers for post sample processing. The robotic surface vessels are enabled by the proposed automation kit designated MARCON: (Mobile, Autonomous and Remotely Controlled Observation Node), a cheaper more lightweight and open-source automation system for surface vehicles. The broader impact of this technology is its ability to impact the data collection and quality of the various parameters to understand any aquatic ecosystem. The market for automated mapping of the waterways is growing because of the push to move observations out of laboratories into decentralized settings. Implementation of fast automated mapping of key and new parameters will not only impact the management of ecosystems, but can reduce time in and costs, which will result in a more efficient environmental management process.The intellectual merit of the proposed technology is its ability to transform the field of ocean/lakes/river observations. Further, deficiencies in ship-based research such as aliasing in time and space, efficient large area coverage, stress at sea for humans, lack of persistence on the water, and ability to adaptively respond over a large area, can all be improved with robotic augmented ship operations. Ocean researchers in the US will benefit from this work. In addition, the ability to adaptively respond to fronts, blooms, extreme events (hurricanes, radioactive releases, etc) and oil spills will be enhanced. The key features of making these proposed kits available to the market place include: distributed fleets of robotic surface vehicles to enable a new Research Vessel System; a robotic vehicle for speedy sensing/sampling of waterways and power for maximum sensor hosting; an end-end solution for automated high content data generation and visualization; advanced adaptive sensing and sampling approach; accessible open source technology for rapid adoption and diffusion of the automation kit and boat platform.