This summer, Michigan Technical University unveiled a new Marine Autonomy Research Site, located at the waterfront Great Lakes Research Center. The site is part of an ongoing push to advance autonomy in the marine industry and to help take humans out of the equation when research on the water is dull, dirty and/or dangerous. Dr. Guy Meadows, director of the Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC), spoke to EM about the site.
Michigan Technological University is located on Central Lake Superior, where the waterfront Great Lakes Research Center facility is dedicated to all aspects of Great Lakes Research, from instrument development to freshwater science and policy.
The MTU team’s project to develop and strengthen the workforce in marine autonomy is really part of a much bigger strategy.
In fact, many kinds of marine research provide classic applications for robots.
Currently, the team at the Great Lakes Research Center is working with the Department of Defense and other partners, turning their unique location into a real asset.
Clearly, this is a huge advantage when the alternative is simply testing under dissimilar conditions and hoping equipment works in the field. Knowing equipment will function properly under harsh conditions is even more important when its autonomous.
Most data buoys, whether used for research, monitoring weather conditions, or for other purposes, can only be deployed during the non-icy months. This is also true for many autonomous marine vehicles.
The team at the GLRC gets remarkably close to actual Arctic conditions.
With climate change, researchers may see even more extreme conditions at this “Arctic” proving ground in the near future.
Autonomous vehicles may be on the road faster, but they’re coming to the ocean, too. Central to the team’s current projects is their own fully autonomous research ship. The team is now working hard to fully operate the small autonomous surface vessel, which is about 18 feet in length.
Obviously, ensuring that this kind of ASV will be safe on the water is a top concern.
Unlike sea gliders, which only surface occasionally to establish navigation and transmit data, autonomous vessels operate entirely on the surface, presenting more of a hazard to other vessels and people.