Hello Prof Valerie Renaudin, Prof Joaqin Torress, Dr Pampa Sadhukhan

This topic sounds interesting. It has a relationship to a current/ongoing research project, building a submersible robot to explore deep lakes and open ocean marine environments. The goal is to build a device that will be self navagating containing obstacle detection and inherent collision avoidance as well as the obvious wide ranging data collection capabilities. I aim to make the robot fully autonomous with no tethering to a surface vehicle required. The functional model would be a kind of "Throw it over the side and let it explore", mode of operation.

Would it be possible to keep in touch with you folk to see the end results of these investigations as there may be emerging interesting adaptations that are applicable to my project.

Regards

Murray Foote

Dear Prof Foote,

Your project is highly interesting. I also find this project is relevant to our session topic as the device you want to build may need to apply some localization techniques to use it for exploring the underwater environments. However, those localization methods will be based on acoutic signals instead of radio signal.

The findings of your research project lies within the scope of our special session & we heartily welcome submission based on such findings in our session.

Is your project aims to observe the oceanic health or water pollution?

Thank you so much for your kind interest.

We look forward to receiving your research findings & participation in this session.

Regards,

Pampa

Hello Prof Pampa Sadhukhan.

Thank you for your reply. You are correct in that acoustcis will play role in navigation and obstacle avoidance. I also intend to experimant with energetic focused light, a motorized laser for short/medium-range "dot-map" creation, similar to the infrared beams used by self steeering cars to create dot maps of time-of-flight related response signals. My methodology will experiment with a wider range of light frequencies starting with visible spectrum Red light (short range) through to Ultraviolet. Apparently UV light travells further in (clean/clear) water than other colours, but I have yet to determine if this is actually the case. The still camera(s) and video camera will also be utilised to enable short range "distance" determination from 2 physically separated cameras creating stereo images.

The project is still in the design/testing stages, separate pieces of hardware scattered across my work area as I create the interfaces and write the software, so there are no "outputs" yet.

Hello Prof Pampa

You asked "Is your project aims to observe the oceanic health or water pollution?" . Yes the health of our global oceans is of concern and will form part of the eventual exploration process, once I have actaully fabricated the device, it is presently just pieces scattered over a work area.

I intend to add additional sensors to collect what ever information I can get, and what information other people may suggest.

-Acoustic measurements, how noisey are our oceans?, what impact do large ships and industrial ports have on the local area?

-Thermal measurements. varying with depth

-PH acid/alkaline measurements

-Light penetration

-Quantity and diversity of lake/Ocean life

-Impact of pollution

?? Other suggestions that people may provide, and we have a method, or can create a method, of testing for...

Regards

Murray

Dear Prof Moore,

Thank you for letting us know the novel objectives of your interesting project.

In continuation with your last point, i.e., impact of pollution, you may also consider detecting the presence of various substances responsible for pollution like toxic chemical, oil, radioactive elements etc. in the water and their sources as well.

Thanks once again for your time & consideration. looking forward to receiving your research finding in our special session.

Regards,

Pampa