“Connecting the Oceans to Space: developing a floating renewably-powered autonomous underwater vehicle servicing platform with LEO constellation data uplink”

When:
April 28, 2021 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm America/New York Timezone
2021-04-28T18:00:00-04:00
2021-04-28T19:00:00-04:00
Where:
Zoom

Geoscience & Remote Sensing Society

Zoom Link:  

Registration:    Click here: 

Speaker: Maha Haji

Abstract:  Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) offer the ability to provide persistent and expanded ocean observations and measurements. The range and duration of AUVs, however, are limited in range and duration by the vehicle’s battery capacity, and the sensor payloads they carry are limited by the processing power onboard which is also restricted by the vehicle’s battery capacity. Furthermore, the power consumption of a vehicle’s acoustic system limits the possibility of substantial data transmission, requiring the AUV be retrieved to download most data. The Platform for Expanding AUV exploRation to Longer ranges (PEARL), described in this talk, aims to extend the range and endurance of AUVs while reducing data latency and operating costs. PEARL is an integrated autonomous floating servicing station that utilizes renewable energy to simultaneously provide AUV battery recharging and data uplink via new generation high-bandwidth low-Earth orbit satellite constellations. This talk details the design and deployment of a 1:2.5 Froude-scaled PEARL system, along with the results from data transmission via satellite link.

Bio:  Dr. Maha Haji is a joint researcher in the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell and the Engineering Systems Laboratory at MIT. Her research focuses on utilizing multidisciplinary design optimization to develop a floating platform to provide recharging and data offloading capacity for autonomous underwater vehicles. Dr. Haji received her Ph.D. in Mechanical and Oceanographic Engineering in 2017 from the Joint Program between MIT and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution where she focused on the design and prototyping of a symbiotic system to harvest uranium from seawater. Dr. Haji has worked in industry as an engineering consultant at ATA Engineering, where she used analysis-driven design to solve problems ranging from aircraft and rockets to robotics and rollercoasters.

Dr. Haji will be joining the faculty at Cornell as an Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Systems Engineering starting in July 2021, where her research group, the Symbiotic Engineering and Analysis Lab, will focus on designing offshore systems to sustainably extract resources from the ocean such as power, water, and food, as well as mineral resources key to the progress of clean energy.

This talk details the design and deployment of a 1:2.5 Froude-scaled PEARL system, along with the results from data transmission via satellite link. PEARL is being developed in the Engineering Systems Laboratory at MIT, led by Prof. Olivier de Weck. For more information, please visit: https://followpearl.mit.edu