Polar Marine Robotics

Date: 12 April 2021, 8:00 – 11:30 GMT

Speakers:
Massimo Caccia, Research Director at Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR, National Research Council of Italy)
Angelo Odetti, Researcher at Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR, National Research Council of Italy)
Raffaella Beroldo, Administrative Assistant at Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR, National Research Council of Italy)

Course summary: This course offered a historical overview of polar marine robotics, considerations and experiences for robot design in cold environments, operational and logistic aspects and experiences from the activities of the National Research Council of Italy (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, CNR). Participants applied the knowledge gained in the course to plan a hypothetical campaign for a semi-submersible vehicle to acquire data and samples at the ice-water-air interface.

Course Slideshow - Massimo Caccia
Course Slideshow - Angelo Odetti
Course Slideshow - Massimo Caccia / Raffaella Beroldo

 Photo: CNR-INM 

ARICE Technical Training: Polar Marine Robotics from APECS Webinars on Vimeo.

• Course outline

  1. Historical overview of polar marine robotics: an introduction to the topic
  2. CNR marine robotics activities in Ny-Ålesund /Svalbard
     1. Scientific motivations
     2. Operational and logistic requirements
     3. “Polar-impact” on robot design
        - inputs from previous Arctic and Antarctic experiences (i.e. SESAMO, POLE, RAISE & e-Robot projects)
     4. Field campaigns: from at-field proof-of-concept demonstration to consolidated technology
        - 2015 Campaign: Robotics-supported data & samples collection - at field proof of concept demonstration: Shark USSV and the trimaran
        - 2017 Campaign: Cooperative heterogeneous UxVs for data & samples collection - at field validation: Proteus USSV and UAVs
        - 2018 Campaign: Custom-adaptation of robots for data & samples collection: Proteus USSV, winches and multi-sampler design
  3. Interactive Work
     1. Planning of a one week campaign in Ny-Ålesund with an autonomous semi-submersible vehicle to acquire data and samples at the ice-water-air interface