A New Deep-Sea Crawler System - MANSIO-VIATOR

Flögel, Sascha; Ahrns, Ingo; Nuber, C.; Hildebrandt, Marc; Duda, A.; Schwendner, Jakob; Wilde, Detlef

doi:10.1109/oceanskobe.2018.8559368

Cited by 10 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…The aforementioned ONC's lighting restrictions may limit the temporal resolution of monitoring plans during the 24h cycle (see previous section "4.1 Impact of operations on the ecosystem" above), with no current capability of multiple transects on a daily basis in the long-term. This issue could be tackled by the development of adequate artificial intelligence, possibly in collaboration with space research scientists, enabling highly automated/pre-programmed missions with optimized duration (Flögel et al, 2018;Aguzzi et al, 2022). Laserscanning and modelling of 3D point-clouds of the seabed within the crawler field of view may be processed in near realtime, to allow adaptive driving capabilities (Aguzzi et al, 2020a).…”

Section: Ecological Representativeness and Potential Biasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transects in the deep: Opportunities with tele-operated resident seafloor robots

et al. 2022

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Scientific, industrial and societal needs call urgently for the development and establishment of intelligent, cost-effective and ecologically sustainable monitoring protocols and robotic platforms for the continuous exploration of marine ecosystems. Internet Operated Vehicles (IOVs) such as crawlers, provide a versatile alternative to conventional observing and sampling tools, being tele-operated, (semi-) permanent mobile platforms capable of operating on the deep and coastal seafloor. Here we present outstanding observations made by the crawler “Wally” in the last decade at the Barkley Canyon (BC, Canada, NE Pacific) methane hydrates site, as a part of the NEPTUNE cabled observatory. The crawler followed the evolution of microhabitats formed on and around biotic and/or abiotic structural features of the site (e.g., a field of egg towers of buccinid snails, and a colonized boulder). Furthermore, episodic events of fresh biomass input were observed (i.e., the mass transport of large gelatinous particles, the scavenging of a dead jellyfish and the arrival of macroalgae from shallower depths). Moreover, we report numerous faunal behaviors (i.e., sablefish rheo- and phototaxis, the behavioral reactions and swimming or resting patterns of further fish species, encounters with octopuses and various crab intra- and interspecific interactions). We report on the observed animal reactions to both natural and artificial stimuli (i.e., crawler’s movement and crawler light systems). These diverse observations showcase different capabilities of the crawler as a modern robotic monitoring platform for marine science and offshore industry. Its long deployments and mobility enable its efficiency in combining the repeatability of long-term studies with the versatility to opportunistically observe rarely seen incidents when they occur, as highlighted here. Finally, we critically assess the empirically recorded ecological footprint and the potential impacts of crawler operations on the benthic ecosystem of the Barkley Canyon hydrates site, together with potential solutions to mitigate them into the future.

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Section: Ecological Representativeness and Potential Biasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transects in the deep: Opportunities with tele-operated resident seafloor robots

et al. 2022

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“…The VIATOR-MANSIO system (Figure 5.1.2d, e;Flögel et al 2018) comprises a stationary lander system (MANSIO) and the mobile deep-sea crawler (VIATOR). The hangar (MANSIO) is used for the transport of VIATOR to the site of investigation and for its recovery to the ocean surface as well as to recharge the lithium polymer (LiPo) accumulators on the crawler.…”

Section: Description Of the Arches Networkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Autonomous Robotic Network to Resolve Coastal Oxygen Dynamics : Cruise No. AL547, 20.10. – 31.10.2020, Kiel – Kiel, ARCODYN

Sommer¹,

Flögel²,

Walter³

et al. 2022

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The ALKOR cruise AL547 represents a concluding milestone of the Helmholtz innovation project ARCHES (Autonomous Robotic Networks to Help Modern Societies). The aim was to implement a heterogeneous robotic sensing network to simultaneously monitor changes in the water column and at the seafloor. The network has been developed by a consortium of partners from AWI, DLR, GEOMAR and the University of Kiel. The participating sensing platforms allow for real-time data transfer and the entire network shall be able to autonomously respond to environmental changes in the ocean. The network comprised seven different mobile and stationary platforms. Tests were conducted at the Mittelgrund working area in the entrance of the Eckernförde Bay (western Baltic Sea). During 47 stations the various sensing platforms were deployed and recovered for maintenance. A total of 87853 messages were sent using hydro-acoustics, of which 71734 messages contained O 2 data, 15177 were status messages, 926 messages were commands to trigger a change of the measurement behavior of a platform and 16 messages represented broadcasts about the environmental status. We synoptically recorded short-term O 2 time series on the different platforms, which were placed along a depth gradient in the working area. As the Eckernförde Bay is known for sporadic fish kills by anoxia we hope to contribute to a better understanding of the O 2 dynamics in coastal areas. - (ALKOR-Berichte ; AL547)

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“…Autonomous or tethered crawlers are mobile multiparametric platforms, moving on the seabed on caterpillars (Flögel et al, 2018). They are used to expand the biological and environmental monitoring area around cabled nodes Thomsen et al, 2017).…”

Section: Crawlers and Roversmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Presently, increasing autonomy in crawler missions and data collection is being implemented through technical solutions for full cable-independence via inductive powering (i.e., recharging is based on new depth-rated lithium batteries; Brandt et al, 2016) and autonomous navigation (Wehde et al, 2019). Rover (i.e., wheeled vehicle) technology is also being implemented as a nontethered alternative to crawlers, being operative through a vessel-deployable docking station (Flögel, 2015;Wedler et al, 2015;Flögel et al, 2018). For example, the benthic mobile physiology laboratory rover has been tested in the northeastern Pacific at 4000 m depth and 220 km west of the central California coast (McGill et al, 2007).…”

Section: Crawlers and Roversmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Instrument payloads will likely have a constraining effect on their use for the exploration of Enceladus over the next decades, although the weight of their casing can be greatly reduced compared to ocean instrumentation on Earth due to the reduced gravity on Enceladus. Moreover, the penetration of a potentially large ice shell requires tools to carve or melt tunnels on the scale of kilometers, in order to open the passage for any marine-like exploring platforms (Weiss et al, 2008;Flögel et al, 2018). Such technological developments are already in progress.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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