STTR Phase I: Video Transmission Through Underwater Wireless Links

这个小企业技术转让（STTR）第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是在需要空中和水下操作的应用中的使能能力。空中-水下无人机是第一批可以在空中飞行、在水中游泳并在空中和水中快速过渡的无人机。该项目旨在通过水下声学通信为无人机配备视频传输功能，以便无人机无需拴系即可在水下操作。凭借这些能力，无人机可用于关键基础设施测绘、沿海环境监测、应急响应、沿海监视以及搜索和救援行动。 该水下视频传输技术也可以应用到其他平台上，扩展水下无线和移动的互联网。 反过来，这种能力有可能实现水下物联网。该项目的商业潜力解决了现有产品的痛点：低数据速率和大尺寸。 增强型无人机将使混合动力车辆能够创造一个新的市场，这是自主水下航行器（AUV）或无人机系统（UAS）所无法服务的。这个小企业技术转让（STTR）第一阶段项目将为空中-水下无人机设计和原型设计一个小型声学通信系统，使它们能够通过水下无线链路实现高数据速率视频传输。所提出的声学通信系统的智能优点包括：1）一种新型MIMO的实时硬件实现嵌入式GPU上的（多输入多输出）发射器（图形处理单元），使得该系统可以由电池供电并安装在小的防水容器中，2）Turbo均衡接收机的FPGA实时硬件实现（现场可编程门阵列）平台来对抗声学信道的巨大多普勒扩展和长多径回波，3）在水下声学链路上以超过300 kbps的高信息数据速率进行视频传输，以及4）将小形状因数声学发射器与天线集成-该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值进行评估，被认为值得支持和更广泛的影响审查标准。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project is the enabling capabilities in applications that call for both in-air and underwater operations. The aerial-underwater drones are the first drones that can fly in air, swim in water, and transition swiftly between air and water. This project aims to equip the drones with video transmission capabilities through underwater acoustic communication so that the drone need not be tethered to operate underwater. With the enabling capabilities, the drone is useful in critical infrastructure mapping, coastal environment monitoring, emergency response, coastal surveillance, and search and rescue operations. The underwater video transmission technology can also be applied to other platforms to extend underwater wireless and mobile internet. The capability, in turn, has the potential to enable Internet of Underwater Things. The commercial potential of the project addresses the pain points of the existing products: the low data rate and large form factor. The enhanced drone will enable the hybrid vehicle to create a new market that is unserved by either Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) or Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs).This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project will design and prototype a small form factor acoustic communication system for aerial-underwater drones enabling them to achieve high data-rate video transmission over underwater wireless links. The intellectual merits of the proposed acoustic communication system include: 1) real-time hardware implementation of a novel MIMO (multiple-input-multiple-output) transmitter on an embedded GPU (Graphic Processing Unit) such that the system can be powered by battery and be fit in a small water-proof container, 2) real-time hardware implementation of a Turbo equalization receiver on an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) platform to combat the huge Doppler spread and long multipath echoes of acoustic channels, 3) video transmission by a high information data rate of more than 300 kbps over underwater acoustic links, and 4) integration of the small form factor acoustic transmitter with the aerial-underwater drones without interfering with the operation of the drones.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.