Training # 1 - Intro to Pier and IVER AUV
On February 21st we had our first hands on technical training! It seems that our robots decided that they really like Norway and Europe and wished to stay longer. (aka Shipping Delays) So that’s exactly what they did. However their trip has finally ended, as they arrived back in California in what seemed to be one piece.
Each of the ICEX team members were given a reading assignment to study the technical documentation and research papers associated with the multiple underwater robots that Dr. Clark has. These robots include the IVER (aka AUV), VideoRay ROV, and the Crawler.
The main goal for this meeting was to delegate the individual project assignments to the team members, meet the IVER and debug any prevailing issues it was having, and ensure everyone was on the same page with the required software needed to control the robots. We met at the Cal Poly owned research peer in San Luis Obispo where we have access to conduct tests. The peer is located in Avila Bay just south of SLO. The location is very scenic and a great place to work! (Pictured above)
Each of the team members were given an individual assignment/project to oversee and complete for this year’s ICEX project. Each project is unique and accomplishes a specific goal set forth by the team and our partners in Norway. Everyone is very excited about their projects, which are listed below.
Alex – Use the AUV to obtain oxygen level data in the fjord.
Frank – Use the ROV to autonomously track a pipe using vision processing.
Greg – Use the crawler to identify objects of interest on the seafloor.
Jessie – Use the AUV to navigate a grid through the fjord to obtain video footage of kelp deposits.
Kevin – Use the AUV and attached camera to create a map of the kelp deposits in the fjord.
At the training we all got the chance to get hands on with the IVER and learn the basic operation and assembly procedures. Once we got the IVER opened up we discovered a few issues/bugs that it was having. Unfortunately we weren’t able to get it in the water to drive around, but we definitely learned a lot and made good progress. We were able to view the driving GUI for the IVER and learn how to drive and read critical sensor values. We hope to drive the IVER and other vehicles in water at our next training.
The last training goal was to get critical software installed on our laptops that will be needed to control and program these many robots. There didn’t seem to be any issues with this process and everyone got the software installed.
Overall...a very productive meeting! It was very exciting to get our hands on a robot and start the technical portion of this great project. We hope to continue to make progress in preparation for our April trip to Norway!
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