NRI/Collaborative Research: Robotic Iceberg Sentinels (RISE)

冰山起源于冰川排放和冰盖崩解，是极地地区的一个重要因素。在它们的一生中，它们向赤道漂移并输送淡水，影响当地环境和大规模的海洋过程，如海平面上升。冰山还对高纬度地区的海上运输构成风险，并可能损坏包括海底电缆和管道在内的近海设备。能够快速评估冰山和周围的水条件对于回答与冰山有关的科学问题和近海作业的风险管理非常重要。该奖项支持开发机器人冰山哨兵(RISE)系统，以获得对冰山形状及其周围水域状况的准确现场测量。将创建一个全面的冰山测绘数据集，用于验证冰山漂移和退化模型，并改进经验冰山几何模型。这一结果将促进我们对冰山对当地和全球环境影响的理解。该项目将在水下定位、基于覆盖的路径规划和机器人之间的协作方面推进海洋机器人的基础。首先，将开发基于冰山的定位算法，以定位相对于平移和旋转的冰山的水下资产，即自主水下机器人(AUV)和漂流浮标。这将推进机器人在非惯性系中定位的技术水平。此外，还将开发基于覆盖的在线路径规划系统，以引导AUV通过在不同深度绕过冰山形成对冰山水下部分的完整体积扫描。这个研究的系统将采用一个新的逆声纳模型来更好地描述环境，以及一个新的基于信息的效用函数来平衡勘探和开发目标。最后，将开发考虑通信和操作约束的新路径规划策略，以促进机器人间协作领域的发展。一个路径规划器将在线动态调整自主水面车辆(ASV)的路径，为AUV提供可靠的通信支持，而另一个规划器将确定最佳部署地点和位置，以最大限度地扩大不确定洋流中漂浮船队的感知覆盖范围。该项目将通过参加URI的夏季本科生海洋学研究奖学金(SURFO)计划和UHM的夏威夷原住民科学与工程导师计划(NHSEMP)，以及为当地少数民族入学率较高的当地高中的学生举办一个新的暑期研讨会，扩大服务不足群体的参与。该项目与罗德岛设计学院(RISD)合作，将生产新的视觉和体验式数字产品，以描述冰山的关键性质及其对环境的影响。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Icebergs, originating from glacier discharge and ice sheet calving, are an important factor in polar regions. During their life-span, they drift equatorward and transport freshwater, affecting local environments and large-scale ocean processes, such as the sea-level rise. Icebergs also pose a risk to marine transportation at high latitudes and can damage offshore equipment including subsea cables and pipelines. Being able to rapidly assess icebergs and the surrounding water conditions is important for answering iceberg-related science questions and risk management for offshore operations. This award supports the development of the Robotic Iceberg Sentinel (RISE) system for obtaining accurate in-situ measurements of icebergs’ shapes and their surrounding water conditions. A comprehensive iceberg mapping data set will be created for validating iceberg drift and deterioration models, and improving empirical iceberg geometrical models. The result will advance our understanding of iceberg impacts on local and global environments. The project will advance the foundation of marine robotics in underwater localization, coverage-based path planning and inter-robot collaboration. First, iceberg-referenced localization algorithms will be developed to localize underwater assets, i.e., the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) and drifting floats, relative to the translating and rotating iceberg. This will advance the state of the art of robot localization in non-inertial frames. Furthermore, an online coverage-based path planning system will be developed to guide an AUV to form a complete volumetric scan of the underwater portion of the iceberg by circumnavigating the iceberg at different depths. This researched system will feature a new inverse-sonar model to better represent the environment and a new information-based utility function to balance exploration and exploitation objectives. Finally, new path planning strategies accounting for communication and operational constraints will be developed to advance the field of inter-robot collaboration. One path planner will dynamically adjust the path of an autonomous surface vehicle (ASV) online to provide reliable communication support to an AUV, while another planner determines the optimal deployment occurrences and locations to maximize the sensing coverage of a fleet of drifting floats in uncertain ocean currents. This project will broaden the participation of under-served groups through participation in the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship in Oceanography (SURFO) program at URI and the Native Hawaiian Science & Engineering Mentorship Program (NHSEMP) at UHM, and a new summer workshop for students from a local high school with high minority-enrollment. In collaboration with the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), this project will produce new visual and experiential digital products to describe the critical nature of icebergs and their impacts to the environment.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.