Friday 10/19/2001
General Announcements:
3pm Monday: Meeting with iRobotics people -
Vent7 meeting outside media lab at 3 o' clock sharp
Library Tutorial to be set up by TF for 3-4 on Wednesday
TEAL Room to be reserved for AtlantisII Team Meetings Wednesday
Division of Labor: that is, the person ultimately responsible for, but
not necessarily the only one working on a particular aspect of the team
function.
Website - Heather
Liason - Tawanda
TF will take minutes of meetings.
According to Team 10(?): fiber optics don't work for communications due
to inflexibility. This needs to be further looked into. In addition,
plans have been proposed by communications networks to create an entire
underwater cable system in the next 6 years. Also need to be looked
further into, but perhaps it could be worked into the design.
Scheduled topic for meeting: Sensors
-CTD: Conductivity, depth, and temperature testing
-Mass Spectrometer
-Cameras *Ask Team 3 about environmental impact of lighting
-acoustic dopler profiler: measures current flow
-leak detector with self-check
-fluorometer: measure absorbance of fluorescent light at a
range of wavelengths
-flow injection analysis: where water goes inside apparatus
-hydrophones
-pH meter (can also be part of CTD)
-sonar mapping
-3D Acoustic imaging: uses algorythms to interpret the data
recieved
-3D reconstruction of small underwater objects
-laser-line scanning: would be difficult for the
instrumentation to see near vents due
to sediment
-OM silicon intensifying tube: reduces scatter from
particles.
Discussion:
What equipment will habitat have? What will we need?
One AUV should have all sensor capabilities of small buoys to be
able to test areas of interest further out. One ROV should be the
rescue ROV whose only purpose is to bring back big things. *ROV's
became famous because they brought back a lost nuclear missile. It
could also serve as the heavy machinery ROV with digging capabilities.
Does Habitiat need an ROV or AUV to help set up the structure?
We will look into contracting versus incorporating that job into the
design.
Geology Team wants drill capabilities.
Next Time: Discuss Communications and Power for the AUV's and ROV's.
Monday 10/22/01
Met with people at iRobotics.
Wednesday 10/24/01
General Announcments:
Mentor John Kreider free for Unchat 8am-12noon Friday. We will meet at
8:30am in Student Center for Breakfast and discussion and go online with
mentor at 9am.
Need "Thank you" notes for people helping us (Mentors, etc.)
Mentor Jamie Anderson - ask to dinner (Monday 6pm?)
Team 2 wants suction arm
Website selling commercial AUV's -- includes steps on design
Discussion (focusing on power & communications):
Future technology we could use for power is Lithium ion
-can be recharged 1000x
-10 hrs each time
Overall power (habitat): nuclear?
Problem: most interesting features are impossible for buoys
-use ROV's
-buoys just to get general info and fluctuation throughout area
Focus on one vent to reduce problems with ROV tethers?
Talk to Team 6 about attachment of Tug, Rescue Operations, and
Docking.
Can use acoustic modem for simple short-range communications and
sensing of the immediate environment.
Physical contact may be needed for data transfer
Communications needs more discussion.
Visitors:
Team 9
- Wants blurb for press release; we will send email originally to
board w/ description of robotics so far.
Team 6
- Tug (ROV attached to manned vehicle) needs a connection and
power
- Manned vehicle using batteries for power
- Tug to be attached closely while manned vehicle moving
- Tug can help in crisis by giving orientation if vehicle stuck
or disabled
- Rescue plans include last-ditch option with ballistes similar
to the Odyssey
- Team 6 gives us samples; we do internal docking.
- Support ship?
Friday 10/26/01
General Announcements:
Email Team 2 about schedule and experiments
Talk about progress of website team
Our website needs more content; Adam & Heather to meet at 5pm
Saturday to work on website in w20; site to be current ideas, not final
design.
Discussion:
AUV's acoustic modems
-can send pictures
-high bandwidth
-3-5 km w/ narrow beam; better signal
-fast data transfer
-low weight
No physical data transfer; only acoustic modems?
Depending on cost, perhaps modems for sensor buoys
Buoys be interconnected? Cluster of 20 w/ 1 cable going back to
habitat?
Where are the bouys placed? Answer: More concentrated around vent
with higher dispersion outwards in cocentric circles.
How will we transport the buoys out there? Manned Vehicle?
How many buoys? ~100
How would we lay permanent cable? Krieder said look at oil fields.
Have AUV's gather buoy data.
Homing beacon in lab and in AUV in case AUV gets lost. Program AUV
to find its way back to the lab if it loses communication connection.
Buoancy of AUV? Make neutral but err on negative side.
Further research (month 12) may be to send sensors directly into
vents once we know a bit more about them.
Build AUV with glass sphere. Use titanium becasue glass is too
dangerous to anything within 1 km. Or could we pressurize the inside of
a glass sphere? Ask some one about feasibility and safety.
Habitat team discouraged us from planning to enter the lab except
for emergency. Why do they not want us in the lab?
Manned vehicle docking system- can it help us? Probably not.
How far from vent to habitat?
Mobility:
- AUV needs at least 2 thrusters & ROV needs at least 3
- ROVe needs more propulsion
- ROV also needs a propeller to move up and down.
*Armando will write up information on Mobility with recommendations
Order of Operations:
- AUV maps out area
- Lay out ROV cables
- Lay out sensor buoys
- ROV collects more specific data
- Whatever scientists want; we need to give them flexibility
Next Time:
Need to have "Tool Talk"; tools are the most important aspect of the
ROV's. (Interchangeable tools?)
Talk to Team 4 about internal docking system for robots.
Monday 10/29/01
Mentor agreed to dinner. When? :: Thursday 6pm.
Website updated with more content added. Great 7 by Armando as
well.
New timetable for design:
-Wed:"Tool Talk" everybody bring list of tools.
-Fri & Mon: Work on definitive structure. Everyone look at systems
beforehand.
---AUV's= Odyssey, A Benthic Explorer (ABE), & REMUS
---ROV's= Jason, Oil Companies
Need to look at Benthos acoustic modems
Do we need different AUV's with different capabilities? :: 1 or 2 to
perform specific tasks & 1 to be really flexible.
Team 10:
-Need to talk to about acoustic modems
-They said they had some suggestions on power
-Will email to make sure they're in TEAL room Wednesday
Need to design Buoy structure.
Navy puts 30m rods into seafloor to measure seizmic activity -- remember -->
-- for "tool talk."
Armando emailed Nektors guys & found its possible to use Nektors for our
robots & not necessarily need hydroplanes.
Could we have both?
Nektors have great mobility and can do sharp turns (good for AUV) but is
a relatively new technology.
Couldn't pressurize glass spheres with oil because electronics need to
be dry
Need to change library meeting time.
Went over how to save/post pics for the webpage
Everyone should bring in a list of tools on Wednesday for "Tool Talk"
Wednesday 10/31/01 Happy Halloween!
We have a list of 12 people on Resources link - more need to be added
Website updated with major catagories
The Cool Seven appear on every page now.
Team 10 Meeting:
-Tm10: Are you using live video?
-Tm7: Yes, saving would take too much space and power
-Tm10: You want permanent cables?
-Tm7: Yes, on the floor.
-Tm10: On the floor? Permanent? Wow.
-Tm10: What if a volcano erupts?
-Tm7: It'd be like telephone lines - they work.
-Tm10: How far apart [would the connectors be]?
-Tm7: 100-200m because our range is about 2 km depending on where the
habitat is located [relative to the vent system].
-Tm10: Okay with us.
Team 4 Meeting:
-Tm4: Send Research on batteries
-Tm7: It will be posted on the website in the next couple days
-Tm7: Keep us up-to-date on Habitat plans for docking
-Tm4: Current plan: 3m diameter
Team 1&2 meeting:
-Tm2: We need field samples
-Tm1: Yes, there absolutely must be a "sucker-upper thing" (device
sketched out on whiteboard
-Tm2: We need to set up a field of sensors
-Tm7: What spread do you want for sensors?
-Tm2: We want sensors in all different sorts of areas
Liking idea of mini-ROV chain even more. One Mini-ROV link every 1/2
km.
Still need neutrally buoyant chain do to possible sag between mini-ROV's
Push back schedule by one day as it is too difficult to work on design
in TEAL room.
Internet Website Party: When? Friday Nov 16th (tentative) w/ pizza
Ideal library time: Monday 3-4
Friday 11/2/01
Journals
Design for T-shirts needed
Heads-up on Write-up for Process Check -- We have most of it already --> written & up on web.
Tether problem: Adam's idea --> loop high off seafloor anchored down, tether goes through loop above vents.
Dinner Talk:
-Sensors for vertical velocity
-Navigation: Transponders, SHARPS - Underwater GPS
-Only takes a few days to map
-New thrusters - careful with vertical thrusters because they could
disturb the sea bottom
-Fins vs Thrusters
-Spheres: didn't think titanium more safe than glass. Glass is lighter
than titanium so will help with buoyancy.
-Acoustic modems affected by salinity and other vent conditions. Should
talk to Art Baggeroer (Mentor for another team)
-Paper on vent fields
-Syntactic foam for ROV
Armando found something about electronics in oil
Oil to stop leakage?
Do spheres use oil or not?
Why wouldn't a processor work in oil? Most require dry environments.
Need to discuss communications between lab and robots.
TOOLS:
7 Function Manipulator motions - outline from Tawanda to be put up on
site.
"sucker-upper thingy" - ask Tm1 for more specifications.
Presently have no vehicle that can go in vent (or very near)
-make arm that can go in or..
-make baby ROV (not really on its own, basically a bucket of sensors)
"umbilical cord" to bigger ROV
AUV's need power & data transfer - need to design system
(Jamie gave us docking references)
Buoys!
-some site has nodes on bottom measuring data that you can view.
Similar to our concept of buoys.
Cameras: more power; thicker cables
Basket for samples (storage area)
-Do we need to maintain pressure for samples (especially live samples)?
Repair vehicle
-welding
-fix lights on other vehicles
-bolts
-cleanup equipment
Monday 11/5/01
It will be 2 to 3 yrs before Lithium technology will be available.
It will be even longer before fuel cells are available
So, for now we would go with Silver & Zinc
Website Party:
--Format from ventweb meeting
--Monday (11/12)
--Big Meeting Fri 16th?
Which models/which sensors?
--all AUV's torpedo shaped w/ thrusters
Plan:
a. Superman AUV w/ sensors and heat resistance and camera
b. Muskateers of mapping temperature and possibly sensor buoy data
collection
c. Drill ROV
d. Maintenance ROV
e. Tug (attached to manned vehicle) ROV
For maintenance ROV- would this be part of the Habitat's budget?
or should we ask for more money?
Would the Drill be on the manned vehicle? Need more research to
determine necessary size
Is it more efficient to have 3 AUV's with similar capabilities to cover
more areas or to specialize? It would also cover
for malfunctions to have redundant AUV's.
Everybody to print out and look over specs for next time.
Meeting with Bluefin COntact
There are two types of structure for auvs, intenaal frmaes, and exoskeleton similar to the remus.
There are holes in the pressure vessel to allow for the cables. These holes are can withsatnd pressure and are airgtight.
The hull is designed to be modular, easy accessible, and serviceable. it must have quick fastenings.
The diameter of the subs used now are 53.3cm.
Small effiecient structures are looked for now.
Hydrodynamic effieceny is imortant
Plastic shell is uses for the desing currently available ABS, HDPE(high denstiy polyehylene. Available form universal plastics. ABS has the advantage of having the same acoustic properties as watre as so can work well with the sensors and everything.
Glass spheres are available from Benthos
Turn radius is an important part of propulsion. We can use the propellor developed at bluefin
Ii is important to have a power budget, and weight budget.
We need to figure out optimum speed which has the lowest energy consumption
Electronics can be oil-filled provided they do not need to be in air.
They can also be moulded in brick ,or plastic
We must think of how much it will cost to employ the engineers
Lithium batteries can be charged inside, using inductive coils. Based on the research donne by AOSN ( Autonomous Ocean Sampling Network)
The super auv need to have stabilizers
We need to look into emergency systems, like a flashing strobe light
THomasRegister.com is a good resourse of all companies
