Innovation Lab

glacier_with_deployment_system.png

Multi-beam Sonar Deployment System

CLIENT: Coastal Boundary Dynamics Research Lab, Megan Wengrove

PROBLEM: The Coastal Boundary Dynamics Research Lab needed to put sensitive mapping instrumentation into the water near a glacier and wanted to protect it. The instruments would be carried on an autonomous rigid hull inflatable boat that drove through ice-saturated waters that could experience calving events. 

SOLUTION: The iLab team developed an automated deployment system for the multi-beam sonar. The system included a cantilevered cage built off the side of the autonomous rigid hull inflatable boat, which then used a linear actuator to deploy or retrieve the instrument based on commands sent to the boat. 

FUTURE: The iLab hopes to continue working on this project and add additional features to the system, such as adjusting the tilt angle when it is in the water and adding a live video feed to help with potential collision detection.