DEPTHX

Last updated
Deep Phreatic Thermal Explorer Depthx commons detoure.jpg
Deep Phreatic Thermal Explorer

The Deep Phreatic Thermal Explorer (DEPTHX) is an autonomous underwater vehicle designed and built by Stone Aerospace, an aerospace engineering firm based in Austin, Texas. It was designed to autonomously explore and map underwater sinkholes in northern Mexico, as well as collect water and wall core samples. This could be achieved via an autonomous form of navigation known as A-Navigation.[ clarification needed ] The DEPTHX vehicle was the first of three vehicles to be built by Stone Aerospace which were funded by NASA with the goal of developing technology that can explore the oceans of Jupiter's moon Europa to look for extraterrestrial life. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

DEPTHX was a collaborative project for which Stone Aerospace was the principal investigator. Co-investigators included Carnegie Mellon University, which was responsible for the navigation and guidance software, the Southwest Research Institute, which built the vehicle's science payload, and research scientists from the University of Texas at Austin, the Colorado School of Mines, and NASA Ames Research Center. [4]

History

DEPTHX robot being lowered into La Pilita, one of several water-filled sinkholes in Sistema Zacaton (in northeastern Mexico). Photo by Marc Airhart, Jackson School of Geosciences, March 2007. Depthx.jpg
DEPTHX robot being lowered into La Pilita, one of several water-filled sinkholes in Sistema Zacaton (in northeastern Mexico). Photo by Marc Airhart, Jackson School of Geosciences, March 2007.

In 1999, Bill Stone had been involved in an underwater surveying project in Wakulla Springs, Florida. For that project, Stone had devised a digital wall mapper that was propelled by a diver propulsion vehicle and steered by divers which was designed to create a 3-D map of Wakulla Springs using an array of sonars, as well as a suite of other sophisticated sensors. [2] [5] The success of this project, the Wakulla Springs 2 Project, attracted the interest of planetary scientist Dan Durda from the Southwest Research Institute, who wished to create a similar piece of technology to explore the oceans of Europa, but one that could drive itself autonomously. Stone accepted the challenge, and several collaborative proposals were submitted to NASA. It wasn't until 2003 that NASA would finally fund DEPTHX as a three-year, $5 million project. [2]

The vehicle underwent several different design concepts over the next couple of years as engineers at Stone Aerospace explored various options. Initial designs focused on a less ellipsoidal design, however these designs were abandoned due to concerns that such a shape would be difficult to maneuver out of the potentially tight spots it might encounter during the exploration of unknown territory. It was also during this time that the DEPTHX team did a field campaign at Cenote Zacatón using a drop sonde to acquire some initial data for the software team, which itself contributed to the overall design changes. The final design was decided upon in 2006, at which point construction of the vehicle began. [6] [7]

The completed vehicle was about 7 feet (2.1 m) in diameter and weighed about 3,300 pounds (1,500 kg). It had redundant navigation systems including 54 sonars, an inertial measurement unit, doppler velocity logger, as well as depth gauges and accelerometers. Propulsion systems were also redundant, having six thrusters and two equivalent battery stacks. It was outfitted with a variable buoyancy system, and finally with the science payload that included the ability to take in water and solid core samples for later analysis, as well as an onboard microscope to analyze water samples in real time. [1] [8]

Accomplishments

During the DEPTHX 2007 deployment, the vehicle was able to create 3-D maps of four cenotes in Sistema Zacatón in Tamaulipas, Mexico. This was the first autonomous system to explore and map a cavern. The mapping of Cenote Zacatón was particularly notable because its depth was previously unknown, as human divers had not been successful in attempts to reach the bottom. DEPTHX created the first map of the bottom of Zacatón, which has a depth of over 1,000 feet [300 m]. [9] DEPTHX was the first robotic system of any kind to implement three-dimensional simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM). It was also the first such system to make its own decisions on where and how to collect samples. [10] From these samples, at least three new divisions of bacteria were discovered. [11]


The success of the DEPTHX mission led to the funding of the follow-on project, ENDURANCE. The ENDURANCE vehicle reused the frame and a number of systems from the DEPTHX vehicle, but was considerably reconfigured for the needs of the Antarctic environment. [2]

Fieldwork timeline

See also

Related Research Articles

An autonomous robot is a robot that acts without recourse to human control. Historic examples include space probes. Modern examples include self-driving vacuums and cars.

The DARPA Grand Challenge is a prize competition for American autonomous vehicles, funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the most prominent research organization of the United States Department of Defense. Congress has authorized DARPA to award cash prizes to further DARPA's mission to sponsor revolutionary, high-payoff research that bridges the gap between fundamental discoveries and military use. The initial DARPA Grand Challenge in 2004 was created to spur the development of technologies needed to create the first fully autonomous ground vehicles capable of completing a substantial off-road course within a limited time. The third event, the DARPA Urban Challenge in 2007, extended the initial Challenge to autonomous operation in a mock urban environment. The 2012 DARPA Robotics Challenge, focused on autonomous emergency-maintenance robots, and new Challenges are still being conceived. The DARPA Subterranean Challenge was tasked with building robotic teams to autonomously map, navigate, and search subterranean environments. Such teams could be useful in exploring hazardous areas and in search and rescue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cenote</span> Natural pit or sinkhole that exposes groundwater underneath

A cenote is a natural pit, or sinkhole, resulting when a collapse of limestone bedrock exposes groundwater. The term originated on the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, where the ancient Maya commonly used cenotes for water supplies, and occasionally for sacrificial offerings. The name derives from a word used by the lowland Yucatec Maya—tsʼonoʼot—to refer to any location with accessible groundwater.

Zoë is a solar-powered autonomous robot with sensors able to detect microorganisms and map the distribution of life in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile, duplicating tasks that could be used in future exploration of Mars. Zoë is equipped with tools and sensors to search for direct evidence of life beneath the surface of the ground. Zoë significantly aids in research needed to study Mars because it acts as a mobile observer and analyzer of any signs of life in a given location. She collects primary data which will help in understanding conditions present on Mars. This project will verify reliability of autonomous, mobile, and scientifically made robots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Autonomous underwater vehicle</span> Uncrewed underwater vehicle with autonomous guidance system

An autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is a robot that travels underwater without requiring continuous input from an operator. AUVs constitute part of a larger group of undersea systems known as unmanned underwater vehicles, a classification that includes non-autonomous remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) – controlled and powered from the surface by an operator/pilot via an umbilical or using remote control. In military applications an AUV is more often referred to as an unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV). Underwater gliders are a subclass of AUVs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mobile robot</span> Type of robot

A mobile robot is an automatic machine that is capable of locomotion. Mobile robotics is usually considered to be a subfield of robotics and information engineering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Whittaker</span> American robotisict

William L. "Red" Whittaker is an American roboticist and research professor of robotics at Carnegie Mellon University. He led Tartan Racing to its first-place victory in the DARPA Grand Challenge (2007) Urban Challenge and brought Carnegie Mellon University the two million dollar prize. Previously, Whittaker also competed in the DARPA Grand Challenge, placing second and third place simultaneously in the Grand Challenge Races.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cryobot</span> Autonomous ice penetrator vehicle

A cryobot or Philberth-probe is a robot that can penetrate water ice. A cryobot uses heat to melt the ice, and gravity to sink downward.

The Life On ice: Robotic Antarctic eXplorer or LORAX was an experimental robotics project developed by the Robotics Institute of Carnegie Mellon University, and supported by NASA. The intent of the project was to create an autonomous rover to survey the distribution of microbes on Antarctica's ice sheets. It is unknown whether it intentionally shared a name with The Lorax, the environmentalist Dr. Seuss character.

William C. "Bill" Stone is an American engineer, caver and explorer, known for exploring deep caves, sometimes with autonomous underwater vehicles. He has participated in over 40 international expeditions and is president and CEO of Stone Aerospace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zacatón</span> Water-filled sinkhole in Mexico

Zacatón is a thermal water-filled sinkhole belonging to the Zacatón system - a group of unusual karst features located in Aldama Municipality near the Sierra de Tamaulipas in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas, Mexico. At a total depth of 339 meters (1,112 ft), it is one of the deepest known water-filled sinkholes in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desert Research and Technology Studies</span> Field trials of technologies for manned planetary exploration

NASA's Desert Research and Technology Studies is a group of teams which perform an annual series of field trials seeking to demonstrate and test candidate technologies and systems for human exploration of the surface of the Moon, Mars, or other rocky bodies.

ENDURANCE is an autonomous underwater vehicle designed to map in three dimensions the geochemistry and biology of underwater terrains in Antarctica. The vehicle was built and designed by Stone Aerospace, and is the second incarnation of the DEPTHX vehicle, which was significantly reconfigured for the challenges particular to the Antarctic environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Astrobiology Science and Technology for Exploring Planets</span> Former NASA program

Astrobiology Science and Technology for Exploring Planets (ASTEP) was a program established by NASA to sponsor research projects that advance the technology and techniques used in planetary exploration. The objective was to enable the study of astrobiology and to aid the planning of extraterrestrial exploration missions while prioritizing science, technology, and field campaigns.

Stone Aerospace is an aerospace engineering firm founded by engineer and explorer Bill Stone, located in Del Valle, a suburb of Austin, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IceMole</span> Autonomous ice penetrator vehicle

IceMole is an autonomous ice research probe, incorporating a new type of ice-melting tip for the exploration of polar regions, glaciers, ice sheets, and extraterrestrial regions, developed by a team from the FH Aachen, a Fachhochschule in Aachen, Germany. The advantage over previous probes is that the IceMole can change its direction and can be recovered after being used. A driving ice screw allows the probe to drill through soil layers and other contaminations in the ice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Robotics Engineering Center</span> Operating unit within the Robotics Institute of Carnegie Mellon University

The National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC) is an operating unit within the Robotics Institute (RI) of Carnegie Mellon University. NREC works closely with government and industry clients to apply robotic technologies to real-world processes and products, including unmanned vehicle and platform design, autonomy, sensing and image processing, machine learning, manipulation, and human–robot interaction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pozzo del Merro</span> Flooded sinkhole in the countryside northeast of Rome, Italy

Pozzo del Merro is a flooded sinkhole in the countryside northeast of Rome, Italy. Situated at the bottom of an 80 m conical pit, at 392 m (1,286 ft) it is the second deepest underwater vertical cave in the world. In 2000 two ROVs were sent to explore its depths; the first, the "Mercurio (Mercury)" reached its maximum operative depth of 210 m (690 ft) without reaching the bottom. The second ROV, "Hyball 300", reached 310 m (1,020 ft) without touching down either. A third dive in 2002 with the more advanced "Prometeo" robot reached the bottom at 392 m (1,286 ft), but discovered a narrow passage continuing horizontally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spindle (vehicle)</span> Ice penetrating two-stage autonomous underwater vehicle

SPINDLE is a 2-stage autonomous vehicle system consisting of a robotic ice-penetrating carrier vehicle (cryobot) and an autonomous submersible HAUV . The cryobot is designed to descend through an ice body into a sub-surface ocean and deploy the HAUV submersible to conduct long range reconnaissance, life search, and sample collection. The HAUV submersible will return to, and auto-dock with, the cryobot at the conclusion of the mission for subsequent data uplink and sample return to the surface.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BRUIE</span> Autonomous underwater vehicle

BRUIE is an autonomous underwater vehicle prototype by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The prototype began underwater testing in 2012 and it is meant to eventually explore the interior of water worlds in the Solar System, such as Europa or Enceladus.

References

  1. 1 2 Vlahos, James (February 1, 2007). "Robot Subs in Space". Popular Science .
  2. 1 2 3 4 Kumagai, Jean (September 1, 2007). "Swimming to Europa". IEEE Spectrum .
  3. ↑ Taylor, Michael Ray (19 April 2012). "Cryobots Could Drill Into Icy Moons With Remote Fiber-Optic Laser Power". Wired .
  4. ↑ "About the DEPTHX Project". Carnegie Mellon Field Robotics Center . Retrieved 26 April 2012.
  5. ↑ Wakulla 2 Technology. U.S. Deep Caving Team. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
  6. ↑ Stone Aerospace History. Stone Aerospace. Retrieved: 28 April 2012.
  7. ↑ News: Zacaton 1 Field Campaign Archived 2012-09-12 at archive.today . Stone Aerospace. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  8. ↑ DEPTHX (DEep Phreatic THermal eXplorer) Archived 2015-11-22 at the Library of Congress Web Archives. Stone Aerospace. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
  9. ↑ "Sistema Zacatón". Wondermondo. 3 July 2010. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
  10. ↑ DEPTHX (DEep Phreatic THermal eXplorer) Archived 2015-11-22 at the Library of Congress Web Archives. Stone Aerospace. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  11. ↑ Sahl, Jason W.; Gary, Marcus O.; Harris, J. Kirk; Spear, John R. (2011). "A comparative molecular analysis of water-filled limestone sinkholes in north-eastern Mexico". Environmental Microbiology. 13 (1): 226–240. Bibcode:2011EnvMi..13..226S. doi:10.1111/j.1462-2920.2010.02324.x. ISSN   1462-2912. PMID   20738374.
  12. 1 2 DEPTHX: Zacaton - Mission 1 Archived 2013-01-05 at archive.today . Stone Aerospace. Jan/Feb 2007.
  13. ↑ DEPTHX Field Notes Archived 2008-08-21 at the Wayback Machine . Carnegie Mellon University. January 2007.
  14. ↑ DEPTHX Field Notes Archived 2008-08-28 at the Wayback Machine . Carnegie Mellon University. February 2007.
  15. ↑ DEPTHX: Zacaton - Mission 2 Archived 2012-09-12 at archive.today . Stone Aerospace. March 2007.
  16. ↑ DEPTHX Field Notes Archived 2008-10-12 at the Wayback Machine . Carnegie Mellon University. March 2007.
  17. ↑ DEPTHX: Zacaton - Mission 3 Archived 2013-02-03 at archive.today . Stone Aerospace. May 2007.
  18. ↑ DEPTHX Field Notes Archived 2008-09-05 at the Wayback Machine . Carnegie Mellon University. May 2007
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.