RAPID: Adaptive, Mobile Robotic Sampler Platform for In-Water Capture and Return of Oil Spill Chemical, Microbial and Particulate Matter

PI已申请海湾溢油RAPID奖，以在选定的海湾和沿海沃茨内建造、验证和部署一个可操作的自适应移动的机器人采样器平台，用于捕获和返回水中的溢油化学品、微生物和颗粒物。该系统由一个机器人采样有效载荷和一个可再生能源（太阳能）自主水下航行器（SAUV）组成，两者都是由NSF资助的技术。该项目将展示一种基本的技术能力，将一个移动的水下平台（机器人）与传感和机器人取样仪器相结合，以支持通过时空数据采集和基于模型的取样对生物和化学现象进行自动化研究。原型传感器/采样/平台系统将支持对深水地平线溢油影响区的物理采样采取适应性方法。该系统的实现解决了智能水生平台和复杂的交互式系统的控制的基本问题。移动的采样器系统将推进石油和其他污染物的时间和空间采样，这可能对墨西哥湾脆弱的化学和生物生态系统的不太明显的部分产生根本性的影响。更广泛的影响在短期内，该计划解决了一个独特的机会窗口，提供空间和时间映射的墨西哥湾石油泄漏及其对生态系统生存能力的影响。移动的采样和自适应采样原理将应用于可以利用这种基于复杂采样的网络的许多其他领域。自适应化学品取样方法将以一种新的取样方式影响海洋技术和海洋科学。远程海洋材料的采样加上标准的实验室分析，可以允许对与复杂生态系统相关的高优先级科学问题进行调查。这项工作的影响可能波及海洋学的所有领域（生物、化学、物理、地质和这四个领域的结合）。移动的取样平台技术可扩展到研究其他海洋现象，包括有害藻华、浮游生物分布的精细结构和沿海污染等。该项目的预期影响，如果成功的话，将在系统工程壮举的低成本自适应智能水生采样系统。这项工作将产生一个创新的智能硬件框架，能够净化和检测复杂的天然样品中的生物/化学目标。该物理系统将被推广为利用可再生能源、智能系统和机器人技术进行跨学科设计和技术教育的一个突出例子。针对一般受众的教育和外联工作将包括远程获取抽样业务活动和项目结果。

The PIs have requested a Gulf oil spill RAPID award to construct, validate, and deploy within selected Gulf and coastal waters, an operational adaptive mobile robotic sampler platform for in-water capture and return of oil spill chemical, microbial and particulate matter. The system is comprised of a robotic sampling payload coupled with a renewable energy (solar) autonomous underwater vehicle (SAUV), both were technologies supported by past NSF funding. The project will demonstrate a basic technological capability integrating a mobile underwater platform (robot) with sensing and robotic sampling instrumentation in order to support the automated study of biological and chemical phenomena through spatio-temporal data acquisition and model-based sampling. The prototype sensor/sampling/platform system will support an adaptive approach to physical sampling of the Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill impact zone. The system implementation addresses fundamental issues in intelligent aquatic based platforms and control of complex interactive systems. The mobile sampler system will advance the temporal and spatial sampling of the oil and other contaminants which may have fundamental impacts on the less-visible portions of the delicate chemical and biological ecosystem of the Gulf of Mexico.Broader ImpactsIn the near term, this program addresses a unique window of opportunity to provide spatial and temporal mapping of the Gulf oil spill and its impact on ecosystem viability. The mobile sampling and adaptive sampling principles will apply to many other domains where such complex sampling based networks can be utilized. The adaptive chemical sampling approach will impact ocean technology and ocean science with a new sampling modality. Sampling of remote ocean material coupled to standard lab based analysis can permit investigations toward high priority science questions related to complex ecosystems. The influence of this work could spill over into all areas of oceanography (biological, chemical, physical, geological and coupled version of the four areas). The mobile sampling platform technology may be extended to study other marine phenomena including, for example, harmful algal blooms (HAB), fine structure of plankton distributions, and coastal contamination. The expected impact of the project, if successful, will be in the systems engineering feat for a low cost adaptive intelligent aquatic sampling system. The work will produce an innovative and intelligent hardware framework capable of purifying and detecting bio/chemical targets in complex, natural samples. The physical system will be promoted as a prominent example of interdisciplinary design and technology education with the use of renewable energy, intelligent systems and robotics. Education and outreach efforts to general audiences will include remote access to the sampling operational activity and project results.