Of the many technologies being deployed as part of the scheme, one of the most innovative from an engineering perspective is an autonomous submarine vehicle (AUV) known as the AUV Coral, which is capable of navigating and mapping marine environments on a large scale without the need for human intervention.
“Coral AUV is designed to work like a diver would, using real-time stereo cameras that build a photogrammetry map of the reef around it and using sophisticated algorithms to navigate,” Mead said.
The prototype, which is currently being developed in collaboration with Queensland University of Technology, uses an open source operating system called ROS as the control architecture.
The reason for the technology is practical.
“The more we can codify routine functions, introduce machine learning and artificial intelligence analysis, and replicate them as many times as necessary, the more we can move our highly trained marine scientists away from the routine and into tasks that require his experience in the field, “said Mead.
“We are trying to take advantage of the technologies that already exist and adapt them for [specific] purpose. I’m not really interested in developing myself [new] technology; I want to use [existing] technology.
“It’s about finding the right combinations at the right price with the right performance and reliability, and then coding everything to make it operational.”
With reefs at risk of disappearing completely in the coming years, the CoTS and ReefScan test strip provide more efficient processes, more accurate data, and a more informed perspective on the marine environment. Technology could not have come at a better time.