Project Summary
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.