Unmanned Systems Maritime Search and Rescue

The Underwater Unmanned System I chose to research is the Bluefin UUV manufactured by General Dynamics Missions Systems.  The Bluefin was used to search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 which met its final demise in the Indian Ocean. According to David Kelly (chief executive officer of Bluefin Robotics) the search and rescue mission will entail the Bluefin searching the Indian Ocean in a row pattern covering just over 39 miles a day. Kelly further states "Down there, it'll run what's called a lawnmower pattern. It's just like mowing the lawn at your house” (CBS, 2014).

According to William O’Halloran from Bluefin Marine Operations the UUV entails the use of sonar technology which it uses to scan the ocean floor. The sonar sends a signal and a measurement of the rate at which the sonar signal is reflected from an object will aid in determining whether aircraft debris or wreckage exists from Flight 370. Further explanation is provided by O’Halloran "You're looking for man-made features, which are almost always right angles," he said. "You're looking for patterns. You're looking for collections of things - things that stand out” (CBS, 2014). The Bluefin also incorporates the use of high resolution camera. The cameras are used to provide a closer attention to detail when the sonar system has discovered an object during its search cycle.

Maritime proprioceptive and exteroceptive sensors include: navigation sensors, pressure sensor, inertial navigation sensor, acoustic tracking transponder, side scan sonar, multibeam echo sounders, imagining sonar, and sub-bottom profiler. A possible addition that I would design into the Bluefin UUV would be the incorporation of a robotic tether arm with an end manipulator.  The arm would have the capability to be controlled by the operator from the control station. Monitoring the tether arm would be possible by the use of the Bluefin’s onboard cameras.

The use of both UUV and UAS would further prove productive in search and rescue missions. Such a scenario would entail the UAS performing a large search scan of the area from above using its camera payload. The UAS operator could then communicate with the UUV operator to perform a concentrated search within an area of interest. The UUV could then focus it underwater search using its search payload to provide further investigation results.

The advantage of UUV platforms over their manned counterparts are the ability the vehicles have to explore deeper and dangerous depths as opposed to the manned vehicle. The manned vehicle must take into consideration the pressure depths and the danger to humans within the vessel. Furthermore, the sensor suites within the UUV provide much greater detail due to its ability to explore closer to the ocean floor and the ability for the UUV to make autonomous decisions. The sonar and acoustic sensors in particular offer an increased benefit over the manned system.

 The choices made by the UUV are based on their sensor configuration which further emphasizes the effectiveness of the UUV platform over the manned vehicle as described by Thurman, Riordan & Toal “The extensive payload capacity and operational versatility of these vehicles can offer a cost-effective alternative to traditional ship-based oceanographic measurements and are increasingly being perceived as ideal platforms for marine survey operations” (Thurman, Riordan & Toal, 2013).
The ongoing developments of sensor suites and vehicle design will continue to make the UUV, the platform of choice when search and rescue activities become a necessity. The benefits of the UUV over the manned platform will further solidify its place within search and rescue missions in the future.


References

General Dynamics Mission Systems. (2017). Technology. Bluefin Robotics, Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/news/malaysia-airlines-flight-370-bluefin-21-a-key-tool-in-wreckage-search/

One of the Navy’s best tools deployed in Flight 370 search. (2014, April). CBS News,
Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/news/malaysia-airlines-flight-370-bluefin-21-a-
key-tool-in-wreckage-search/

Thurman, E., Riordan, J., Toal, D. (2013). Real-Time Adaptive Control of Multiple Colocated Acoustic Sensors for an Unmanned Underwater Vehicle. IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering, Retrieved from http://ieeexplore.ieee.org.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.
edu/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=6413238&tag=1


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