MRI: Development of an Amphibious Remotely Operated Vehicle for Coastal Research and Education

近岸区域的物理行为的知识仍然是理解海滩和障壁岛过程的关键不足。 这些知识对于沿海社区成功地为未来做好准备以及评估国家的长期可持续性至关重要。的海滩。 获得这一知识的一个主要障碍是无法安全地在碎波区进行观察和测量，碎波区是一个以巨大破碎波、强海流、强烈湍流和高浊度为特征的恶劣环境。 一个负担得起的，但强大的，两栖远程操作车辆的成功开发将改变在沿海科学和工程的研究，教学和业务活动的方式进行。 这样的飞行器将允许在风暴事件期间以及在石油和化学品泄漏以及病原体爆发等其他危险条件下进行现场测量。 它可以配备各种各样的仪器和观测设备，以及用于在碎波区和近岸进行高精度的调查。 其意图是，一旦证明可行，大多数大学、政府机构和商业利益集团都能负担得起商业制造的复制品。 这将扩大其提供给近岸海洋社区作为一个整体，使大量的高优先级近岸科学和工程问题得到解决。 根据其他类型的两栖车辆和主要研究者？该平台的设想将是底部爬行，由四个液压驱动的轨道，并由通气管吸气柴油发动机驱动。 通气管（约7.5米长）将配备减阻整流罩，以减少破碎波的动力需求和冲击载荷。 它还将携带用于无线电控制、数据通信和视频馈送的天线，以及用于定位和精确测深测量的适当设备。 有了这个移动的仪器平台，可以在干燥的海滩、冲浪区以及更远的地方无缝地进行操作。 虽然它的框架将标称为5米宽和7米长，以保持破碎波的稳定性，但车辆将能够折叠成合适的配置，因此它可以在改装的船拖车上轻松快速地运输到任何沿海位置。

Knowledge of the physical behavior of the nearshore region has remained as a critical deficiency in understanding beach, and barrier island processes. This knowledge is critical for allowing coastal communities to successfully prepare for the future, and for assessing the long-term sustainability of the Nation?s beaches. A major obstacle in gaining this knowledge is the inability to safely make observations and measurements in the surf zone, a hostile environment characterized by large breaking waves, strong currents, intense turbulence, and high turbidity. The successful development of an affordable, yet robust, amphibious remotely operated vehicle (ROV) will transform the manner in which research, teaching, and operational activities in coastal science and engineering are conducted. Such a vehicle will allow in situ measurements during storm events and under other hazardous conditions such as oil and chemical spills and pathogen outbreaks. It can be equipped with a wide variety of instruments and observational equipment, as well as used to conduct highly accurate surveys in the surf zone and nearshore. It is the intent that once proven practicable, commercially manufactured copies of the ROV will be affordable for most universities, government agencies, and commercial interests. This will broaden its availability to the nearshore ocean community as a whole, allowing a plethora of high-priority nearshore science and engineering issues to be addressed. Based upon other types of amphibious vehicles and the Principal Investigator?s previous experience with the initial development of a surf zone ROV, the platform envisioned will be bottom-crawling, propelled by four hydraulically driven tracks, and powered by a snorkel-aspirated diesel engine. The snorkel (~7.5 m long) will be equipped with drag-reducing cowlings to reduce both power requirements and impact loads from breaking waves. It will also carry antennas for radio control, data communications, and video feed, as well as suitable equipment for positioning and for accurate bathymetric surveying. With this mobile instrument platform, operations can be conducted seamlessly across the dry beach, out into the surf zone, and beyond. Although its frame will be nominally 5 m wide and 7 m long to maintain stability in breaking waves, the vehicle will have the ability to be folded into a suitable configuration so it can be easily and rapidly transported on a modified boat trailer to any coastal location.