Research themes
Find out more about the team and its work below.
BioCam
BioCam develops 3D visual imaging technology for seafloor mapping applications.
DriftCams
"Mapping in the background" will build a fleet of ultra-low cost passive underwater robotic platforms, or DriftCams. These are capable of building massive digital maps of the seafloor using underwater currents to drift along near the seabed. They will drift along completely unattended for periods of several weeks. This will eliminate the need for ships, which is the most expensive part of underwater robot operations, that are normally required for daily deployment and recovery.
RamaCam
RamaCam aims to prove the concept of combined imaging and chemical analysis to differentiate between particles that cannot easily be told apart and monitor their distribution in the ocean. While particles are thought to play an important role in transporting carbon to the deep and need to be monitored at scale to understand the impacts of plastics and plumes, they are invisible to most sensors.
CCat3
Our team has access to a advanced ASV (L3Harris, formerly ASV Global CCat3) for near-shore marine applications.
Smarty200
Smarty200 is a 200m depth-rated modified Sparus II AUV (Iqua robotics). It is equipped with:
- seafloor imaging
- laser scanning (Voyis RECON)
- DVL/INS (Sonardyne Sprintnav-mini)
- USBL (Sonardyne AVTrack Nano)
- surface iridium.
It has a platform endurance of around 10 hours of mapping with payloads.
Dimensions 1.8m x 0.3m x 0.3m, weight 70kg.