Earthzine https://earthzine.org/ Earthzine - Earth/Ocean news. Instant Earth Science news fix. Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:43:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.5 https://earthzine.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Earthzine-sidebar-logo-142x150.ico Earthzine https://earthzine.org/ 32 32 noEarthzine - Earth/Ocean news. Instant Earth Science news fix.editor@earthzine.org Ocean Observing Platforms and Technologies for the Decade https://earthzine.org/ocean-observing-platforms-and-technologies-for-the-decade/ Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:43:40 +0000 https://earthzine.org/?p=3830643

The panel showcased technologies/platforms tested or being developed for increasing sustained ocean observing capacity globally

28 Sep, 2025

Filippo Campagnaro, Hari Vishnu

Ocean Decade observatories took place, titled “Ocean Observing Platforms and Technologies for Ocean Decade: Prospects and Perspectives.” As almost of our readers already know, the vision of the Ocean Decade is “the science we need for the ocean we want” and it seeks to stimulate ocean science and knowledge generation to reverse the decline of the state of the ocean system. The 3Ms: Measure, Monitor and Model the ocean data are fundamental to understand the science of our oceans and ocean management. However, the vastness, harsh environment, and accessibility issues to remote areas makes it challenging for observing the oceans widely.  Alternatively, the availability of limited platforms and technologies restricts our ability to collect large enough data through sustained and long-term monitoring. Low-cost autonomous platforms and persistent measurement technologies are now shaping the future of the ocean observing systems.

Dr. Pallayil, the moderator, introducing the panelists

 

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This panel addressed and showcased some of the technologies and platforms that have either been tested and deployed or being developed to increase sustained ocean observing capacity globally. More than 30 people attended the panel, that was moderated by Dr. Venugopalan Pallayil. Venugopalan, after a quick but inspiring introductory speech, introduced the other 7 excellent speakers, including

  1. Justin Manley, President of the Marine Technology Society,
  2. Yi Chao, Founder & CEO of Seatrec,
  3. Julie Angus, CEO & Co-Founder of Open Ocean robotics,
  4. Carlos Barrera Rodriguez, VIMAS Head, Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands – PLOCAN,
  5. Allan Adams, Physicist and PI of the Future Ocean Lab, MIT,
  6. Kendra McDonald, Chief Executive Officer Canada’s Ocean Supercluster, and
  7. Jani Tanzil, Director of the St Johns Island National Marine laboratory.

The panelists addressed how these emerging ocean observing approaches can contribute on the surface, in water and on the seabed measurements and how it can serve different industry sectors.

Justin Manley giving his talk at the panel

Justin Manley giving his talk at the panel

The footprint of low-cost systems

Justin mentioned that, when speaking of the “Blue Economy” and “Blue Energy”, everyone thinks about turbines. But the application is not that straightforward as most people think, as you need 2000-3000 windmill turbines to produce enough energy for a city, hence the footprint of such deployment may be very high and so the deployment cost for making energy.

Changing topic, he highlighted another aspect - that smart buoys and mooring systems are retrieving very precious data, but such deployments are not scalable as they cost millions of US Dollars (USD) and are hard to be deployed. Simpler systems like Argos cost a few tens of thousands of USD and are well known for their scalability. Other smaller buoys exist now in the market (with a price of 5k USD) and their deployment may scale even better, indicating these types of systems as promising solutions to help studying the oceans.

Low-cost Autonomous Surface Vessels

Julie Angus addressed another promising technology that can push the study of ocean waters forward, i.e., the use of relatively low-cost Autonomous Surface Vessels (ASVs), with a price of about 100 thousand USD each, equipped with sensors for collecting maritime data. The important modular structure of such vessels allows to change the installed sensors and customize the ASVs for any user needs, allowing to monitor the vessel’s mission and retrieve the data in real-time.

Yi Chao presented how research activities performed by academia can have a significant innovation impact and result in the creation of startups and commercial products. He presented the Argo as a case study of a famous and scalable platform for measuring several water properties including conductivity, temperature and depth along the water column for long periods. He also mentioned the next activities related to Argo, that will soon be equipped to additional sensors, integrate echosounder and passive acoustic and perform some processing onboard thanks to energy advertising system.

The Canada National Ocean Cluster

Kendra then presented the Canada’s National Ocean Cluster, a big action and accelerator to fund made-in-Canada solutions for Ocean Energy, sustainable seafood, future transport and ocean climate solutions. She highlighted which national and international funding actions are essential to push the study on the ocean a step forward, by supporting the development of new technology that cover several aspects of ocean science, hence using a holistic approach. This includes, among the others, genomics, fish tracking, satellite data, autonomous vessels, data analysis with AI for various accurate predictions and data retrieval through underwater acoustic communications.

Data accessibility

Carlos Barrera spoke on persistent and long-range monitoring in the Ocean including using Ocean-energy driven platforms

Speaking about data accessibility, Carlos presented how at European level data retrieved by floats, ferries, mooring, gliders, and research vessels is well-organized in several frameworks to provide high quality measurements in standardized databases. This is missing for Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs), although many USVs already transit from academia to market. They are very capable energy wise due to solar panels and ability to retrieve energy from waves. Many sensors can be installed, and technology is mature, but there is lack at network level (technology, mission and operation, etc). Therefore, at the European level, there is the ongoing EOOS project where this problem is in process of being discussed and more actions are in process with US and GOOS.

St Johns Island National Marine laboratory

Finally, Jani presented the Singapore St Johns Island National Marine laboratory and its facilities, including a research vessel and various resources and infrastructure for experimentation. Buoys are under development for making an observatory for research and education. As part of her ongoing Marine environmental sensing network (MESN) projects, an R&D buoy was developed in a modular way, where you can add and remove modules and sensors depending on the needs of researchers. A research community-based database is made available online to everyone, to help research activities and make the students aware of the environment. There are big challenges on fronts such as “unwanted biodiversity”, or biofouling, that is still an unresolved issue. Jani said she is looking for help on this front if anyone has the solution.

Q&A Session

After these inspiring speeches, a Q&A session started, where audiences could interact with the panelists.

The first question was related to the fact the world is currently not really reacting to climate change, and whether or not the world will be ready to react. Justin and Julie agreed that the Blue Economy is going to have to scale a lot in response to this, and we need this for the decarbonization of shipping activities. According to Kendra, Julie and Jani, it is essential to make the general public (and not just scientists or technologists) aware of the impact of climate change, and to show them the easy-to-understand and unequivocable data. The lack of awareness outside of our community of scientists, engineers, educators and technologists, slows down the process, as the whole population including those outside this community are the ones driving actions, and convincing politicians with their vote. Following the same theme, Carlos added in another aspect that the technology sooner or later will arrive, but the main problem is regulation to enable it to be applied.

The second question pointed out that oceanography research and monitoring faces problems with vandalisms that cause mooring systems to go missing or out of service sooner than expected. Moreover, all activities related to data retrieval for ocean studies are very expensive and many countries cannot afford them. Carlos answered that in case of vandalism, there is not a lot that can be done, and that the perfect ocean monitoring system does not exists, but it comes from the creation of a system-of-systems where equipment already in place is integrated with new devices, creating a holistic platform. Jani sustains that new buoys will be more attractive to investors such as energy companies, as they can make energy that can be used by energy companies for redistribution to land. Julie agreed that vandalism is always a risk, but technology can help as in the case of an USV you can send another USV if the first gets vandalized without the need of going in with a ship. Moreover, using lower cost assets have less impact if vandalized, and it is more important that the data is retrieved even if the unit is lost, which can now be done thanks to wireless connectivity. Yi stated that it is difficult to make a mooring system very vandalism-proof, and redundancy is an option. The defense community is coming out with methodology to reduce the footprint and we will see in the near future if this is applicable. Kendra also agreed that redundancy to have data in real-time through wireless communications is essential so that the data is not lost if the asset gets vandalized. It is also important to provide a way to locate the sensor and get it back if it is lost. Justin pointed out that for vandalism, making the sensors “invisible” can help – for example, have them below the water surface like Argo floats.

A comment from the audience highlighted that adding sensors to monitor the ocean is also increasing the ocean pollution. While Justin on the one hand agrees that if sensors are lost they may become a source of pollution, the small pollution they are creating is a small price to pay compared to the importance of the data they are acquiring to help decarbonize the oceans. In fact, this pollution is definitely negligible compared to other human actions.

The next question was related to the use of the data acquired from these observatories, and what steps are needed to facilitate actions starting from data products.

In response, Justin opined that it looks like ocean data itself is becoming a business, and without this happening it will be hard to have a strong action. Hence, he advocates for ocean data to be commercialized. Kendra highlighted that there are many actions under the umbrella of the Ocean Decade, and a lot is going on with Artificial Intelligence to make predictions from data. She went to to mention that it is time now to investigate how this information are valuable, if for aquaculture, defense or other activities. Yi agreed that industry started making sensors and databases without knowing what the costumers were doing with the data, and fortunately the new trend is understanding the final use of this data, hence making customization to the final user.

The Q&A session at the panel was highly engaging

Julie spoke on the fact that lots of intelligence onboard the sensors can allow to classify vessels, do passive acoustics and many other operations. Then, on shore data fusion can be performed with satellite data to better understand what it is happening in a certain area. Jani thought that the main problem in terms of sustainability of the platform, is to have the money for using and maintain such systems in the long term, and to figure out how the data can be useful for policy makers. Carlos finally highlighted that it is important to understand the role of the people and the institutions in the chain of data management and exportation, as the data itself is only the starting point and the roles on the added value chain must be clarified.

To conclude the panel, the final question addressed to the panelists was on increasing people awareness on ocean topics, and how to prevent possible problems with misinformation and people misunderstanding on these topics. Carlos highlighted the importance of a multidisciplinary approach with new technology and the importance to cooperate with other fields involved in the same project to have a very efficient approach. Jani states that it is essential that the scientific community never sows climate change skepticism. The problem is how do we convey this information to general people, student sharing our knowledge to have a strong impact? This is an important point that needs to be discussed. Julie also agreed that communication to people is very important, and so is working with people and making them feel that new technologies such as robots are not about stealing their jobs.

Yi said that, in fact, when mapping the ocean, people ask why the public money are spent to perform this task when there are many other problems directly related to people life. Communication with people is important to make them understand the importance of this activity. Kendra stated that it is a big challenge having the world understanding research as the way academy communicate is different than how public communicate, so we need to do an effort to simplify our communication and make it more accessible to general public. Finally, Justin mentioned that the problem is that communities take decisions on emotions and not on data provided by scientists, and for this reason we need to make this information more accessible to avoid this to happen.

Overall, the panel provided many diverse and excellent insights into this important topic of ocean observation in a sustainable and low-cost manner, that is a crucial aspect of the ongoing UN Ocean Decade.

]]> editor@earthzine.org (Earthzine) ICOE 2025: A Journey of Connection and Collaboration https://earthzine.org/icoe-2025-a-journey-of-connection-and-collaboration/ Thu, 05 Mar 2026 16:26:22 +0000 https://earthzine.org/?p=3830659

The International Conference on Ocean Engineering held in Sep '25 at IIT Madras turned into a great platform for collaborations and discussions.

7 Feb, 2026

Vijayalakshmi Thiagarajan,
Chair, IEEE Student Branch,
Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai, India

The 7th International Conference on Ocean Engineering (ICOE 2025), jointly sponsored by IEEE OES, held from 15-18 September, 2025, at IIT Madras, became more than just a conference – it became a platform where 220 passionate individuals from 16 countries gathered under the theme "Blue Economy and Sustainability," and IEEE OES was right at the heart of it all. As Chair of the IEEE Student Branch, IIT Madras, and Co-chair of the IEEE OES, IIT Madras, I had the unique privilege of witnessing how IEEE OES's presence transformed this event into a vibrant community gathering

The morning of 15 September arrived with excitement and nervous energy. When IEEE OES was acknowledged as a proud sponsor during the inauguration ceremony, graced by Dr. Manu Korulla, Director General of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), India, and other distinguished guests, I felt immense pride. But the real story began at our exhibition booth. From Day 1, it transformed into an informal meeting point where all 220 attendees – 33 faculty members, 16 industry representatives, international visitors from 16 foreign universities, and especially the 135 enthusiastic students – found their way at some point over the three days. 

Inauguration, Felicitation of Chief Guest, Guest of Honours and Plenary Speakers

What made the booth special wasn't just the information we shared about IEEE OES publications, technical committees, and student benefits – it was the connections we forged. I watched a student's eyes light up upon discovering IEEE OES travel grants. Industry representatives explored partnership opportunities with researchers they met on the spot. International visitors learned about IEEE OES chapters in their home countries. The booth became a crossroads where careers were shaped and collaborations were born. Day 2 brought its own memorable moments with continued networking at our booth between the technical sessions. IEEE OES sponsorship was felicitated during the day, acknowledging our society's vital support to the conference. The evening's gala dinner at Holiday Inn Chennai OMR became an extension of the conference spirit, where conversations over dinner with international visitors, faculty, and industry representatives led to discussions about potential collaborations and the future of ocean engineering – all while IEEE OES remained a common thread connecting everyone present.

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Networking and Gala Dinner at Holiday Inn, Chennai

Then came Day 3, and my biggest moment. On 17 September, I stood in the TTJ Auditorium, IIT Madras, the main venue to deliver the IEEE OES special session: "IEEE OES: A Platform for Growth, Collaboration, and Innovation." Looking at the filled auditorium with faces I'd connected with over the past days, my nerves transformed into excitement. I spoke about IEEE OES not as an abstract organisation, but as a living, breathing community that fosters interdisciplinary research, provides networking opportunities transcending boundaries, and nurtures the next generation of ocean engineers.

Adding a powerful dimension to the session, K. Sridhar, IEEE Young Professional Laureate and IEEE OES Chair of IIT Madras, shared his inspiring journey and experiences as part of the Young Professionals Network (YPN). His insights on how IEEE OES and YPN shaped his career resonated deeply with the audience, particularly the students who could see themselves in his story. The combination of institutional perspective and personal journey created a compelling narrative about what IEEE OES membership truly means.

The Q&A session that followed was electric. Questions about technical committees, publication processes, career pathways, and international collaboration flew from all corners. A young researcher asked about underwater robotics research through IEEE OES. An industry professional wanted to explore partnership opportunities. Each question affirmed that our message was resonating.

Throughout the conference, 32 technical sessions showcased over 150 papers covering marine renewable energy, autonomous underwater vehicles, AI applications, and climate change studies – all of which are perfectly aligned with IEEE OES's mission. We heard 14 keynote lectures from international experts spanning Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Taiwan, Japan, Tunisia, and Denmark. Between sessions, conversations at our booth would pick up where technical presentations left off, creating beautiful continuity.

If I had to pick the most fulfilling aspect, it would be the student engagement. By the conference's end, numerous students inquired about becoming members, accessing IEEE Xplore, submitting to the Journal of Oceanic Engineering, and applying for travel grants. One group even inquired about establishing an IEEE OES student chapter at their institution. The gala dinner on 16 September and industrial visits to IIT Madras Discovery Campus and NIOT on Day 4 further strengthened these connections.

Prize Distribution and Valediction Ceremony

As the valedictory ceremony concluded on 17 September, I reflected on what we'd achieved. IEEE OES hadn't just been a sponsor name – we'd been present, engaged, and impactful. Selected papers will be considered for IEEE-affiliated journals, plans are underway for joint workshops, and institutions have expressed interest in establishing IEEE OES student chapters. Most importantly, we strengthened IEEE OES's visibility in India and demonstrated our commitment to advancing ocean engineering globally.

ICOE 2025 reinforced my belief that IEEE OES is more than a professional society – it's a community united by curiosity about our oceans and commitment to engineering excellence. Special thanks to the organising committee led by Prof. Abdus Samad, Head of Ocean Engineering Department, IIT Madras, along with Prof. M A. Atmanand, Dr. Poguluri Sunny Kumar, Dr. Bithin Ghorai, and Dr. K.G. Vijay for their exceptional leadership. To everyone who made this unforgettable – the organisers, faculty, industry representatives, international visitors, distinguished guests, our dedicated core volunteer team who worked tirelessly behind the scenes, and especially the 135 students who brought such energy – thank you.

]]> editor@earthzine.org (Earthzine) The green cost of war https://earthzine.org/the-green-cost-of-war/ Wed, 07 Jan 2026 15:52:29 +0000 https://earthzine.org/?p=3830657

A take on the environmental cost of explosives in all forms, apart from the human cost.

7 Jan, 2026

Afzalbek Fayzullaev

From bunker buster bombs, suicide drones, guided aerial bombs, airstrikes, and ballistic missiles, the diversity and number of strike capabilities have increased in recent years. In addition to the devastating effects on human life, the use of these weapons also drastically harms the environment as well

Animal Life

            Focusing first on the impact of bomb use on animal and plant life, it is important to note that the impact is not homogeneous. For instance, the use of explosives in an area can cause the displacement of animals. This is the exact cause for mountain gazelles, which were seen in groups of hundreds before explosives drove them out of their natural habitat [1]. On the other hand, the reverse can also be true where because people move out of areas that are being or have been bombed, certain animals tend to repopulate that area. This is seen with wolves, for instance, whose population increased by approximately 50% from pre-war levels [1]. Thinking more about the secondary effect that bombing has on animals because of its primary effect on humans, pets can also be taken into consideration. Many domesticated animals are “often left behind and uncared for, leading to starvation or illness, in an area where they remain at risk from the continued bombardment” [2]. Use of such devastating forms of artillery has a multifaceted impact on animal life, one that can not be instantly resolved with a ceasefire.
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Plant Life and Agriculture

Moving on to the plant and agriculture impacts of bomb use, it is no surprise that the explosions caused by certain bombs can cause some trees to be set on fire. However, this can be so drastic that in some instances, 70% of trees can be lost to being burnt and cut down compared to pre-conflict levels [1]. Focusing further on the issue of fires, the compound effects of UXOs, which are military ammunition that failed to detonate as intended, must be mentioned. This is an important factor to keep in mind since modern weapons have a failure rate of about 5% which is significant given the tons of bombs used by various countries [1]. A study focusing on the contribution of landmines to land degradation found that landmines create a “lose-lose” situation because, whether they are detonated or not, they will still change the quality and cover of land [3]. This study formulated a triangular relationship between degradation, landmines, and underdevelopment, where each affects the other. For instance, landmines destroy the soil’s structure, stability and nutrient availability and de-vegetation leading to further degradation of the bomb affected area. The people of this area are then going to go through famine and malnutrition and face income loss/poverty. This will then leave that land underdeveloped, which forces the people to exploit the natural reserves and degrade the already marginal resources, which may lead them to encounter more landmines or be limited in the land they can use [3]. When thinking about the impact of missiles on plant life, the impact on agricultural plant life must be taken into consideration. Not only do explosive weapons contaminate the land and change the quality of the land, as mentioned prior, they also damage irrigation networks which also contaminate the land [1]. In one instance, the use of these types of weaponry caused agricultural production to fall by almost 35% [1]. However, the harmful impact of bombs on agricultural-specific plant life is not only due to its impact on soil quality. In an article published out of Brown University titled “Costs of War,” it is pointed out that bombs also inhibit agriculture by “disrupting topography, forming craters, and altering drainage patterns” [4]. All in all, similarly to the multifaceted effects that bombs have on animal life, the same can undoubtedly be said for plant life.

Water

            When thinking about chemicals and debris affecting soil quality, the impact on water quality must also be considered. The United Nations Environment Program points out that damage to facilities can result in chemical spills and water contamination, as well as damage to the water supply and wastewater sanitation [5]. This in turn has a myriad of health impacts on people as well through contracting water-borne diseases for instance [5]. Taking this one step further, disruption of the supply of safe water is not the only impact; a 2021 paper from Conflict and Environment Observatory adds that explosive weapons also affect the “complex water cycle and risks wider environmental harm” [6].

Climate Change

            When thinking about the impact of anything on the environment, climate change/global warming must be in the conversation. To start, militaries are responsible for 5.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, a metric that is most likely even higher when taking into account that many governments do not provide data on emissions from their military activities [7]. This carbon footprint is caused not only by the consumption of vast amounts of fossil fuels but also by the fire and smoke caused by the weaponry [7]. Bringing back up the complex effects of explosives on animal life, plant life, and water quality, climate hazards such as droughts, floods, and wildfires can exacerbate these impacts. For instance, higher temperatures have been seen to cause abandoned munitions to explode [8], potentially causing the plethora of harm mentioned earlier.

Conclusion

            The impact of explosives, and their many forms and uses, on the environment is a hard conversation, but one that must be had. It is clear that the effects are not simple and one-dimensional; when one impact comes up, there are several other tangential ones that all build on top of each other. A fitting end to this discussion is a quote by Henry David Theoreus, a poet, philosopher, and naturalist: “Every creature is better alive than dead, men and moose and pine trees, and he who understands it aright will rather preserve its life than destroy it.”

Works Cited:

]]> editor@earthzine.org (Earthzine)no24 Aug, 202524 Aug, 2025Biodiversity, Air pollution, animal, bomb Propelling Ocean Exploration Forward to Meet the Needs of the Future https://earthzine.org/propelling-ocean-exploration-forward-to-meet-the-needs-of-the-future/ Thu, 25 Sep 2025 09:52:23 +0000 https://earthzine.org/?p=3830648

This panel highlighted the latest advances, ongoing challenges, and the essential partnerships shaping the future of ocean exploration.

24 Sep, 2025

Jhon Anderson Bermudezz

The Ocean remains one of the least understood frontiers on our planet, yet their health is critical to the well-being of ecosystems and societies worldwide. The OCEANS 2022 conference brought together leading experts to discuss the urgent need to explore, understand, and protect our oceans using technology, collaboration, and innovation. This panel highlighted the latest advances, ongoing challenges, and the essential partnerships shaping the future of ocean exploration. Ongoing and accelerating changes in the world's seas, especially due to climate change, make it more urgent than ever to understand these environments. Such understanding is essential to drive the development and implementation of new technologies for the care and preservation of the ocean.

 

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Jeremy Weirich presents ocean exploration activities by NOAA

Keynote Presentation by Jeremy Weirich: Technology and Talent for Ocean Exploration
The session began with a presentation by Jeremy Weirich, Director of Ocean Exploration at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). He highlighted collaborative projects with various universities focused on mapping, characterization, and exploration, leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as Unmanned Autonomous Vehicles (UAVs) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Weirich also stressed the importance of supporting early-career professionals through scholarships, internships, and opportunities to join expeditions—experiences that are invaluable for both enriching careers and deepening understanding of ocean data collection, processing, and dissemination.

Moderator’s Introduction: A Call to Action for Ocean Stewardship
Following Weirich’s presentation, the panel moderator, Dr. Sarah Kapnick, NOAA’s Chief Scientist, delivered opening remarks on the necessity of protecting the oceans from surface to seabed. She underscored that this responsibility should be a priority for both governments and companies that rely on marine resources. Dr. Kapnick then introduced the panelists:

- Dr. Adam Soule – Professor, University of Rhode Island
​- Miss Tosca Lichtenheld – Sofar Ocean
​- Dr. Kakani Katija – Principal Engineer, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
​- Captain (Ret.) Brian Connon – Vice President, Ocean Mapping, Saildrone Inc.
​- Jeremy Weirich – Director, NOAA Ocean Exploration

The panel moderator introduces the panel to the audience

Industry Partnerships Fueling Innovation

The discussion began with the question: “What non-federal actions have had the greatest impact on ocean exploration to date?”

Dr. Adam Soule observed that the oil and gas industries, in collaboration with various companies, have created a new ecosystem integrating emerging technologies and fostering partnerships with universities and research centers. Initiatives such as the development and deployment of ROVs (Remotely Operated Vehicles) and UAVs exemplify these advancements.

Tosca Lichtenheld added that ocean exploration remains a challenging endeavor, requiring more affordable hardware, such as sensors and smart data acquisition systems, to monitor sea conditions effectively.

The panel then addressed: “What are the main challenges for community collaboration in ocean exploration?” Captain Brian Connon responded that ocean mapping and exploration require substantial resources and that effective collaboration hinges on aligning the research goals of diverse stakeholders. He also emphasized the need to enhance data collection autonomy and efficiency through machine learning. The panelists collectively agreed that establishing interoperability standards for devices would greatly facilitate more efficient and collaborative ocean exploration.

Panel Discussion: Investing in the Future of Ocean Innovation

Dr. Kakani Katija, making her contribution via Zoom

Next, the moderator asked: “What investments are necessary to strengthen ocean innovation across academia, industry, and government?”

Tosca Lichtenheld highlighted the importance of maturing technologies through government-industry partnerships, helping to transition prototypes into widely usable products, with governmental support driving research in areas of national interest. Dr. Adam Soule concurred, noting that such collaborations can significantly accelerate the transition from prototype to operational products, fostering institutional cooperation and advancing ocean exploration knowledge. Dr. Kakani Katija further pointed out that accelerator programs can address real-world problems and reduce research timelines. Brian Connon added that these strategies could provide new perspectives for research and development in both governmental and corporate sectors, furthering our understanding of ocean dynamics.

The panel ended with the conclusion that Ocean exploration is a task that can be accomplished by working as a team with entities from government, industry, and academia. The use of technologies in robotics and computer science can contribute to this goal. However, it is necessary to establish clear and achievable objectives for all interested parties. It is also necessary to establish standards that allow the sending and receiving of data from the oceans to be clear and easy to implement in different devices. In addition, joint work between the government and private companies would allow real solutions to be achieved to the challenges of ocean exploration.

]]> editor@earthzine.org (Earthzine) Air Quality Awareness week – reminder of a persistent challenge https://earthzine.org/air-quality-awareness-week-reminder-of-a-persistent-challenge/ Sun, 24 Aug 2025 05:09:03 +0000 https://earthzine.org/?p=3830640

It focused on increasing air quality awareness by sharing resources and information, and to incorporate this knowledge into their daily lives

24 Aug, 2025

Afzalbek Fayzullaev

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently promoted a national campaign titled Air Quality Awareness Week (AQAW). This event was held from May 5th to May 9th, in collaboration with other partners, including the Department of Environmental Conservation and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). According to the EPA, the AQAW’s main focus is to increase air quality awareness by sharing resources and information, and to incorporate this knowledge into their daily lives [1]. Throughout the week, the EPA had daily topics that include: Wildland Fires and Smoke, Asthma and Your Health, Indoor Air Quality, and Air, Animals and Plants [1].

Wildland Fires, Smoke, and Indoor Air Quality

AQAW started with an important discussion on what wildland fires are and their effects on air quality. Wildland fires can be described as a fire that occurs in “an area where there is little to no human activity or development” [2]. The causes of these fires can be both natural, such as lightning or volcanoes, in which case the fire would more specifically be called a wildfire [3]. Wildland fires also include prescribed fires, which are planned fires created by people for the purpose of reducing fuels to limit the size of future fires [3]. This discussion about wildland fires is especially important because there has been an increase in fire rates globally. More specifically, 2020, 2021, and 2023 mark the fourth, third, and first worst years for global forest fires, respectively [4]. Focusing on North America, both the United States and Canada have experienced much greater rates of fires and damage caused by fires. In 2024, the US saw 64,897 wildfires with 8,924,884 acres of land being burned [5]. This is higher than not only the 5-year average but also the 10-year average [5].

The US and Canada have experienced much greater rates of fires and damage caused by fires in recent times.

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The EPA transitions to talk about the potential effects of wildland fire smoke by stating that healthy people are not at major risk but those with “heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teenagers, and people who are more likely to be exposed are at increased risk of experiencing health effects” [2]. The EPA also provides information about how to use AirNow, an online website and app that can track the Air Quality Index in one’s area. Additionally, AQAW also provided tips on how to protect indoor quality during and after a wildfire smoke event. These tips included avoiding creating smoke from cooking or smoking, filtering the air using a portable air cleaner, closing windows and doors, and running fans or air conditioners to recirculate air [2]. The second day of AQAW included a discussion about the sources of indoor pollutants and health risks associated with these pollutants. Although it may be generally thought that indoor air quality is better than outdoor air quality, the EPA draws attention to the importance of indoor air quality maintenance by stating that sources of indoor air pollution can cause the indoor air quality to be worse than outdoor air [5]. Common sources of indoor air pollution include tobacco and vape products, mold from water leaks, and household cleaning products. Tips to improve indoor air quality are similar to tips on how to protect indoor air quality during and after a wildfire: improve ventilation, and use portable air cleaning or heating, ventilation, and air conditioning filters [6].

Asthma and Your Health

air pollution can impact ecosystems directly through the air but also indirectly through the water and soil

 This year's AQAW also included World Asthma Day, which was on May 6th 2025, and was also a focus of the EPA. According to a study done out of University of Washington in collaboration with the EPA, it was found that there is particularly strong evidence that links smoke exposure to “exacerbation of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases” [7]. Focusing further on the health effects of wildfires, environmental irritants like wildland fire smoke were positively correlated with “increased risk of congestive heart failure, ischemic heart disease, hypertension, and/or acute myocardial infarction" [6]. The EPA urges people to be aware of not only these effects of environmental irritants but also the effects that indoor allergens and irritants can have on asthma, strokes, and heart attacks [7].

Air, Animals, and Plants

The EPA also takes time to share information about how air pollution can impact ecosystems directly through the air but also indirectly through the water and soil.           To start, air pollutants can cause acid rain to occur which can form nitrogen, sulfur and other compounds that if drained into lakes and streams, can harm fish and other wildlife [8]. More specifically, acid rain can cause such water bodies to become too acidic for some animals to survive, or alter the chemical make up of the soil which can also harm the animals and plants [10]. In addition to the lung and cardiovascular issues that air pollution and environmental irritants cause mentioned prior, wildlife health can also be harmed in similar ways. [9]. In addition to measuring compounds from acid rain such as reactive nitrogen, another metric that can be used to understand the effect of air pollution on the environment is mercury levels. Mercury in the Environment and Links to Deposition Science Committee found that high mercury levels from air pollution can interfere with the “health, growth and reproduction” [10] and wildlife. Thinking on a broader scale, air pollution can also affect wildlife by “entering the food chain and damaging the supply and quality of food” [10]. For instance, certain pollutants can be consumed and stored in the animal’s tissue, which if eaten by other animals along the food chain, will continue to increase in concentration [11]. This is a phenomenon called bioaccumulation which disrupts the ecosystem and can result in population decline of certain species but can also lead to toxins entering the human food chain as well [11].

The EPA ends their AQAW by noting the current work they are doing to protect the public health from pollutant emissions and the efforts they have taken to improve air quality. Such work includes further research on exploring the “dynamic interrelationships between natural ecosystems and air quality” [9].

The AQAW shared crucial information about the effects of poor air quality from wildland fires and indoor air pollutants on human, animal and plant life. This information was always in close conversation with how people can use their air quality knowledge in their day to day lives to keep themselves and the environment around them safe and healthy.

References

  1. US EPA, “Air Quality Awareness Week,” www.epa.gov, Feb. 22, 2023. https://www.epa.gov/air-quality/air-quality-awareness-week
  2. US EPA, “Wildland Fires and Smoke,” www.epa.gov, Feb. 22, 2023. https://www.epa.gov/air-quality/wildland-fires-and-smoke
  3. “Wildfires, Prescribed Fires, and Fuels - Wildland Fire Program (U.S. National Park Service),” Nps.gov, 2016. https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1965/wildfires-prescribed-fires-fuels.html
  4. J. MacCarthy, S. Tyukavina, M. Weisse, N. Harris, and J. Richter, “New Data Confirms: Forest Fires Are Getting Worse,” www.wri.org, Aug. 2024, Available: https://www.wri.org/insights/global-trends-forest-fires 
  5. National Interagency Fire Center, “Wildfires and Acres,” nifc.gov, 2022. https://www.nifc.gov/fire-information/statistics/wildfires
  6. “Indoor Air Quality | US EPA,” US EPA, Mar. 05, 2025. https://www.epa.gov/air-quality/indoor-air-quality
  7. D. A. Jaffe et al., “Wildfire and prescribed burning impacts on air quality in the United States,” Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, vol. 70, no. 6, Apr. 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/10962247.2020.1749731.
  8. “Asthma and Your Health | US EPA,” US EPA, Feb. 22, 2023. https://www.epa.gov/air-quality/asthma-and-your-health 
  9. US EPA, “Air, Animals and Plants,” www.epa.gov, Mar. 14, 2024. https://www.epa.gov/air-quality/air-animals-and-plants
  10. “Air pollution: Effects on Wild Animals - Canada.ca,” Canada.ca, May 29, 2012. https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/air-pollution/quality-environment-economy/ecosystem/wild-animals.html
  11. https://nadp.slh.wisc.edu/aqaw-2024/air-animals-and-plants/
  12. “Bioaccumulation: Effects & Causes | Vaia,” Vaia, 2019. https://www.vaia.com/en-us/explanations/environmental-science/pollution/bioaccumulation/

Image Credits:

"Wildfire" by NPS Climate Change Response is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0.

"Air Pollution environmental green problem" by RecondOil is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

]]> editor@earthzine.org (Earthzine) The Singapore Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Challenge (SAUVC) 2025: The 10th Edition https://earthzine.org/the-singapore-autonomous-underwater-vehicle-challenge-sauvc-2025-the-10th-edition/ Wed, 25 Jun 2025 14:29:59 +0000 https://earthzine.org/?p=3830625

The largest underwater student robotics competition in Asia celebrated another successful year with its 10th edition held during 14-17 March 2025.

28 June, 2025

Hari Vishnu, Bharath Kalyan and Venugopalan Pallayil with inputs from SAUVC organizing committee

 

SAUVC celebrated another successful year with its 10th edition held during 14-17 March 2025. Continuing its trend of growth, this year's event hit new records in team registration and participation, reinforcing its position as the largest SAUVC to date. The event was endorsed by the United Nations Decade of Ocean Sciences, emphasizing its alignment with global initiative goals, notably addressing five of its ten challenges. This endorsement also underscores the critical role of IEEE OES in the Decade's framework.

A new addition to this event was a full-day marine robotics hands-on workshop exclusively for high-school students, conducted on 13th March. This initiative aimed to enhance marine robotics education at the school level and inspire students towards careers in this field. This plan to synergize the events worked out successfully, and further details will be covered in a separate article.

A heavily-attended SAUVC 2025 event!

2025 saw the highest participation yet for any SAUVC event of 440 participants

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SAUVC in numbers

  • Teams being given briefings on the event in a fully packed hall

    Teams being given briefings on the event in a fully packed hall

    Registration: 83 teams registered for the event. These teams had to prequalify for participation by submitting a video of their AUV swimming underwater, with a requirement that the video should show it swimming for at least 10s and demonstrating their AUV’s depth control. The requirements were made more stringent this year considering how team videos have been getting better in previous years, limiting the video length strictly to a minute and with must-meet requirements.
  • Participation: 73 teams participated by submitting videos as part of pre-qualification requirements.
  • Selected: 51 teams were selected from these to attend the event in Singapore. All the videos were of very high quality, even better than last year. Even given the clear and strict criteria, the judging team had a hard time shortlisting the teams.
  • Competed: 41 of the selected teams made it into the event, which again, is the highest ever for the event. Some teams could not make it due to technical or financial issues mostly. Students in the region (especially South Asia) often develop their AUVs on tight budgets and do not necessarily find the funds to travel so far for the event. Nevertheless, despite the travel, visa and funding issues, it is impressive that so many teams made it.
  • ~440 participants made it to the event in total including students and their mentors, from
  • 13 countries (India, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey, Russia, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Macau, Australia and Azerbaijan). This year, we had the first ever teams from Azerbaijan and Australia participating at the event, and the second-ever team from Saudi Arabia, thus extending our reach now to Central Asia and the Pacific ! Needless to say, both teams were elated to be here.
  • 2 school teams - one from Alana Science High school, Turkey, which is a recurring team from last year, as well as a team from Pui Ching Middle School, Macau.

We had the highest participation yet in this event, and this was clear in terms of how the venue was packed throughout the event (see the header photo!). The representation of teams from developing countries across Asia was extensive, and shows the value that SAUVC brings to this region.

The Challenge
Judge Venu interacting with teams, judging the Innovation award

Judge Venu interacting with teams, judging the Innovation award

SAUVC 2025 maintained the challenges from the previous year, including an underwater communication task to promote teams to think about this important technological problem. However, the TCOMS Ocean basin facility bonus round with waves and currents was omitted due to logistical issues.

The competition involved a qualification and a final round. To qualify, AUVs navigated through a gate without surfacing or contacting any structures. The top 20 teams moved to the finals, where they completed tasks to assess their capabilities in navigation, positioning, actuation, communication, and robotic manipulation. The table below outlines the various functional capabilities tested in the corresponding tasks.

 

Task

Aspect of operation

 

Passing through a gate, avoiding red flare

Navigation, Obstacle avoidance

 

Locating a particular bucket amongst 4 options, and dropping a ball into it

Target acquisition and manipulation, Acoustic/Visual localization

 

Moving out of the bucket arena, returning and reacquiring the ball dropped.

Target reacquisition and manipulation

 

Bumping against a flare holding a ball to drop it, in a particular order

Underwater communication and Visual Localization

 
Some cool AUV designs

Some cool AUV designs

Points were awarded based on task difficulty, timing, and AUV specifications. A complete description of the tasks, static judging criteria and award of points are covered in the competition rule book available at https://sauvc.github.io/rulebook/.
SAUVC 2025 Award Winners

This year, there were 20 finalist teams. The winner of SAUVC 2025 was Team Mecatron from the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, who were runner-up in the previous edition, showing notable improvement from the previous year. Due to close scoring, a joint runners-up award was presented to the next two teams.

Top 5 teams in the finals:

  1. Mecatron from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore,
  2. HYDROships from Shipbuilding Institute of Polytechnic Surabaya, Indonesia,
  3. Nirma AUV from Nirma University, Ahmedabad, India,
  4. Marine Belido from Universitas Multi Data Palembang Palembang, Indonesia,
  5. Searious Business from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Some of the winning AUVs in action underwater

Some of the winning AUVs in action underwater

A general observation is that Indonesian teams showed remarkable improvement this year. However, overall performance was not significantly better than 2024, as only two teams hit the flares, and none succeeded in underwater communication.

In addition to the top 3 finalists, the IEEE OES innovation award went to Team Manta Ray from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. This was judged by a panel consisting of the SAUVC technical committee, and included inputs from external judges (Dr. Daniel Tan from Marine Ports Authority), the divers who observed the AUVs, and Dr. Pallayil did a walk-about talking to the teams. The Manta Ray AUV turned quite some eyes with their simplistic design using a transparent and inexpensive cat bowl hull to house the electronics, a simulator developed in Minecraft to test the AUV, and a Macbook mini as the computer inside their vehicle (they also had a schematic showing that the overall cost of the system was manageable despite the Macbook used, and they were even ready to throw their AUV into the pool!) . The AUV ranked a joint 6th in the overall competition.

Gala Dinner, Award Ceremony and Panel discussion

The event concluded with a gala dinner and award announcement at the Shaw Foundation Alumni House on March 17th. This ceremony celebrated achievements, facilitated networking, and included exciting technical talks from marine engineering experts including Dr. Daniel Tan from Marine Ports Authority Singapore, and Mr. Raj Nagalingam from the Society for Underwater Technology. Additionally, a video showcasing Schmidt Ocean Institute’s research vessel Falkor Too and the OES Berths of Opportunity program was presented.

First prize winner from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore being given the award by Dr Lim Joo Ghee from Singapore Polytechnic

First prize winner from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore being given the award by Dr Lim Joo Ghee from Singapore Polytechnic

Event publicity and social outreach
Some intense moments at the challenge

Some intense moments at the challenge

This year’s event saw an even more concerted social media campaign over Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, being well-covered in terms of photos and videos. Our Facebook and Instagram handles showed a reach of 16k and 68k respectively, and Linkedin showed 47k impressions over January to April alone. There were 77k and 428k views over the last 3 months. The posts reached a diverse audience, mainly from South Asia, Indonesia, Turkey, U.S., and Singapore.

IEEE OES has always been a regular sponsor of SAUVC in terms of sponsorship, as it was in this year. Other sponsors included Schmidt Ocean Institute, Sonardyne, IEEE TryEngineering STEM grant, Kongsberg Discovery, Society for Underwater technology, BlueRobotics, Sea and Land Technology and Breaking the Surface 2025. 

Talks being given by Dr. Daniel Tan (left) and Mr. Raj Nagalingam (right) at the workshop

Talks being given by Dr. Daniel Tan (left) and Mr. Raj Nagalingam (right) at the workshop

Concluding Remarks and success stories

Summary of social media statistics for the event

Summary of social media statistics for the event

SAUVC has established itself as a leading and prominent student competition for autonomous underwater vehicles across Asia, Australia, and Europe over its ten editions. It has garnered considerable interest within the student robotics community and has had a tangible impact on student learning and ocean education outcomes. Previous SAUVC winners have gone on to join marine robotics labs and/or industry jobs worldwide, which is a matter of pride for us.

The competition's policy of no registration fees aims to encourage broad participation, particularly from developing nations, and supports educational outreach by facilitating interactions with experts and mentors. This policy aims to encourage novice teams to compete, with OES membership drives conducted as part of the registration process, and we once again thank our sponsors for supporting this. The substantial representation in terms of participating countries, number of students, and diversity is deemed encouraging. This approach supports the growth of marine robotics interests globally and fosters innovation among young engineers. The event's educational outreach extends beyond competition, as participants gain invaluable hands-on experience and mentorship from marine robotics experts and committee members.

SAUVC's commitment to nurturing talent is evident in the success stories of former participants - at least four marine robotics-based startups have originated from teams participating in SAUVC. These include BeeX in Singapore (from team Bumblebee), BRACU (from the Bangladesh-based BRACU Duburi team), Tiburon from the National Institute of Technology Rourkela, India. Teams from Nirma Institute of Technology and Christ College of Engineering are also undertaking R&D projects in India. Another success story we have learnt is that many of these winners have gone on to win other competitions like RoboSub, showcasing how the learning experience at SAUVC fostered their growth, and more SAUVC winners are eyeing other competitions as well.

Overall, SAUVC continues to serve as a pivotal platform for fostering marine robotics education and innovation, leveraging its extensive reach and support from sponsors to create lasting impacts in the field. The event's continuous growth and success highlight its significance as a catalyst for student learning and technological advancement in underwater vehicle systems.

The SAUVC 2025 organizing committee

The SAUVC 2025 organizing committee

]]> editor@earthzine.org (Hari Vishnu) Optimizing Engineering Design with AI: A workshop on Ocean Energy Systems https://earthzine.org/optimizing-engineering-design-with-ai-a-workshop-on-ocean-energy-systems/ Wed, 25 Jun 2025 11:05:34 +0000 https://earthzine.org/?p=3830621

The workshop brought together experts from academia, industry, and government to explore innovative approaches to sustainable ocean energy.

28 March, 2025

Vijayalakshmi Thiagarajan, Chair, IEEE Student Branch, Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai, India

The International Workshop on "Optimizing Engineering Design with AI: A Focus on Ocean Energy Systems," held from November 17–20, 2024, at IIT Madras, brought together experts from academia, industry, and government to explore innovative approaches to sustainable ocean energy. Aligned with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals and the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainability, this event addressed key challenges and breakthroughs in ocean energy systems design and optimization. The workshop coordinators were Prof. Abdus Samad, Prof. Nilanjan Saha, Dr. Poguluri Sunny Kumar and Dr. Atmanand from the Ocean Engineering Department at IIT Madras.

Our esteemed sponsors are the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)-Oceanic Engineering Society (OES), National Institute of Technology (NIOT), Danfoss, Safeway Dredging Enterprises, and Tridel Technologies. The workshop featured plenary sessions, technical talks, and interactive discussions. Esteemed speakers included Prof. Kwang Yong Kim (Inha University, South Korea), Dr. Purnima Jalihal (NIOT, India), Prof. Dominique Thévenin (Otto von Guericke University, Germany), and Prof. R. Sundaravadivelu (Emeritus Professor, IIT Madras), who shared insights on topics ranging from Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven optimization in fluid machinery to marine spatial planning, renewable energy integration, and the nonlinear soil settlement analysis for breakwater design.

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Underwater Robot Competition at Techno-Ocean2021

Underwater Robot Competition at Techno-Ocean2021

Participants of the OEDAI workshop

Participants of the OEDAI workshop

Other notable speakers included Dr. M.V. Ramana Murthy (Director, NCCR, India), who discussed renewable energy challenges in offshore wind energy; Ms. Anulekha Majumdar (NIOT, India), who presented on optimizing turbine performance for OTEC systems; and Dr. Murali Kunasekaran and        Mr. Khalid Khaleem (Danfoss, Denmark), who provided industry-focused insights on AI/ML-based design optimization for marine applications. Additionally, Mr. Vikrant Verma (Oceaneering) highlighted subsea umbilical structural design optimization through data science techniques, while Prof. S.A. Sannasiraj (IIT Madras) delved into wave data assimilation for optimal forecasting. These diverse presentations underscored the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and technological innovation in advancing ocean energy systems and fostering sustainable practices.

A special address by Dr. M.A. Atmanand, former Director of NIOT and senior IEEE member, highlighted the pivotal role of IEEE student branches and chapters in shaping the careers of young professionals and students. Dr. Atmanand emphasized the importance of IEEE’s global network in fostering professional growth, facilitating skill development, and providing opportunities for collaboration through technical societies and events. His insights inspired the audience, particularly the student participants, to actively engage with IEEE for mentorship, knowledge exchange, and career advancement.

The workshop provided students with invaluable exposure to cutting-edge developments in AI and ocean energy systems. Interactive sessions allowed students to engage directly with experts, while poster presentations showcased student research, fostering academic recognition and networking opportunities. Hands-on tutorials on AI and IoT applications in ocean energy systems enhanced their technical skills and broadened their perspectives on interdisciplinary approaches.

Ms. Vijaya Lakshmi Thiagarajan, Chair of the IEEE Student Branch – IIT Madras, along with her dedicated team of IEEE OES student volunteers, played a pivotal role in ensuring the event’s success. They coordinated logistics, facilitated speaker sessions, and managed student registrations. The team also organized networking events, connecting participants with experts and sponsors. Their proactive efforts and commitment ensured seamless communication and the overall smooth conduct of the workshop. The enthusiastic participation of the student team demonstrated how IEEE activities foster collaboration between academia and industry, preparing students to excel in technology and innovation. 

Dr.Emeel Kerikous (Session Chair) felicitates the invited speaker Mr. Bhanu Agarwal, founder of Serviceful Inc.

Dr.Emeel Kerikous (Session Chair) felicitates the invited speaker Mr. Bhanu Agarwal, founder of Serviceful Inc.

Notable workshop sessions included discussions on leveraging AI and IoT in ocean energy systems, optimizing turbine performance for Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC), and addressing challenges in offshore wind energy. The event also showcased emerging applications of genetic algorithms, numerical simulations, and data-driven techniques in fluid dynamics and energy infrastructure.

This workshop underscored the transformative potential of AI in achieving a sustainable blue economy while fostering interdisciplinary collaboration. It provided a platform for knowledge exchange, inspiring a global community committed to advancing ocean energy technologies and sustainable practices.

]]> editor@earthzine.org (Earthzine) UN Ocean Decade: Shifting Mindsets, Overcoming Barriers – a panel at OCEANS 2024 Singapore https://earthzine.org/un-ocean-decade-shifting-mindsets-overcoming-barriers-a-panel-at-oceans-2024-singapore/ Fri, 13 Sep 2024 14:30:46 +0000 https://earthzine.org/?p=3830580

The panel emphasized that by leveraging insights from behavioral science, we can develop and implement more effective solutions that address global climate change and ensure a healthy ocean for future generations.

28 May, 2024

Amelia Ritger, University of California, Santa Barbara and Giulia De Masi, Research Program Manager and Visiting Faculty at Khalifa University

“The ocean plays a crucial role in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and the livelihoods of billions of people. We urgently need to change how we interact with it”. – United Nations Secretary General António Guterres.

To achieve the ambitious goals of the United Nations Ocean Decade, we need to change not only how we interact with our ocean, but also how we interact with each other. The OCEANS 2024 Singapore panel “UN Ocean Decade: Shifting Mindsets, Overcoming Barriers” – organized by Francesco Maurelli and Giulia De Masi on behalf of the OES Ocean Decade initiative committee – underscored the critical role of collaboration, behavioral change, and stakeholder empowerment in tackling the complex challenges facing our oceans.

The panel emphasized that by fostering collaboration across disciplines and leveraging insights from behavioral science, we can develop and implement more effective solutions that address global climate change and ensure a healthy ocean for future generations.

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The panel was moderated by Francesco Maurelli and featured the following panelists:

  • Rakoen Maertens, Junior Research Fellow at University of Oxford
  • Aazani Mujahid, Associate Professor at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
  • Filippo Campagnaro, Assistant Professor at Università degli Studi di Padova

It included both short presentations and an interactive component, with audience members providing responses to questions such as: “What can you identify as BARRIERS to shifting mindsets in your field/project?”

The discussion unpacked the concept of "shifting mindsets" as a cornerstone for achieving the Ocean Decade goals. For example, we traditionally address problems from a technical perspective; however, the human element is woven into every step of project development, as we work on teams and with clients to develop successful solutions. By shifting our mindset to mindfully consider the human component in our work, we can better address the desires and needs of the human societies reliant upon a thriving ocean ecosystem.

The panel also explored methods for breaking down perceived barriers and highlighted how interdisciplinary collaboration, community engagement, and human-centered solutions are critical to tackling the complex challenges facing our oceans.

The power of collaboration

Filippo Campagnaro, co-founder of SubSeaPulse, showcased the power of a cross-disciplinary approach. He discussed the limitations of traditional data collection methods in ocean observations, which are often time-consuming, expensive, and require physical sampling in challenging environments. SubSeaPulse's technology, born from collaborations with marine biologists and aquaculturists, offers a cost-effective and scalable solution through wireless, real-time sensor networks. Campagnaro's work addresses several of the UN Ocean Decade challenges, including those related to ecosystem health assessment, building community resilience, and equitable access to data and technology, demonstrating the power of collaboration in tackling complex environmental issues.

Dr. Aazani Mujahid sharing her thoughts on the issues leading to low uptake in science stream, especially amongst women

Dr. Aazani Mujahid sharing her thoughts on the issues leading to low uptake in science stream, especially amongst women

The importance of community engagement

Aazani Mujahid, a researcher from Universiti Malaysia, Sarawak, presented a compelling perspective that shifted the focus beyond science and engineering to identifying and addressing systemic issues.

Her work engages fishing communities, particularly women, who are often excluded from scientific research and decision-making processes. Mujahid identified several barriers to greater community involvement, including cultural barriers, funding limitations, lack of education and alternative livelihood options, and disinterest in and distrust of science.

She highlighted the importance of empowering women in these communities to make significant social, economic, and environmental change. She also gave a great example of how once empowered, these women groups are able to make a significant impact in their communities. Mujahid's work exemplifies the critical need to integrate social sciences and community engagement into ocean conservation efforts.

The science of human behavior

Rakoen Maertens, an applied behavioral scientist from the University of Oxford, highlighted how behavioral science can offer valuable insights into how to effectively shift mindsets and promote sustainable behaviors. He started by hooking in the audience and showing them how behavioural science is very relevant, and even critical, to making impactful changes in the ocean science and engineering fields.

He also introduced fundamental ideas in behavioral science that have been developed to explain how and why people make the decisions they do. For example, seemingly small changes, or “nudges”, have the power to significantly influence human behavior. To affect more complex behavior and generate long-term changes, however, we need effective interventions that bridge the “intention-behavior gap” where people have good intentions but lack motivation.

Dr. Rakoen Maertens delivering his talk at the panel, summarizing tools and techniques for applying or using behavioural science in oceanic engineering outreach

Dr. Rakoen Maertens delivering his talk at the panel, summarizing tools and techniques for applying or using behavioural science in oceanic engineering outreach

Maertens cited frameworks and tools like MINDSPACE, COM-B, and BASIC that have been developed to design interventions that identify and target behaviors. He pointed out some resources that the audience could read to tap into the power of behavioral science (eg. www.busaracenter.org, https://www.busara.global/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Ground-work-The-Busara-toolkit.pdf, https://www.bi.team/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/MINDSPACE.pdf  ).  Maertens concluded by emphasizing the need for proactive integration of behavioral science into projects, but cautioned against a one-size-fits-all application across different cultures.

Closing thoughts

At the start of the session, the moderator Francesco Maurelli asked the audience to identify perceived barriers to shifting mindsets. Maertens built upon this at the end of the discussion by asking the audience to identify enablers to shifting mindsets and consider their own actions, asking: “What are YOU going to do (concretely) with the insights from this panel”?

This exciting session involving a good amount of audience participation not only informed the discussion, but it also solidified the session’s call to action, encouraging audience members to translate knowledge into an interdisciplinary and collective effort towards sustainable ocean science, engineering, and conservation.  

By the end of the session, it was clear that there was a better understanding and appreciation of the need for changing mindsets and how critical it is, and on some of the tools and approaches for doing this, in order to achieve positive changes in the community during the ongoing Decade.

A summary slide of responses from the audience on what they identified as enablers in shifting mindsets in their respective fields.

A summary slide of responses from the audience on what they identified as enablers in shifting mindsets in their respective fields.

]]> editor@earthzine.org (Earthzine)noThe panel emphasized that by leveraging insights from behavioral science, we can develop and implement more effective solutions that address global climate change and ensure a healthy ocean for future generations.The panel emphasized that by leveraging insights from behavioral science, we can develop and implement more effective solutions that address global climate change and ensure a healthy ocean for future generations.Ocean Decade, behavioural, mindset, oceans, OCEANS Singapore, psychology, Singapore Igniting passion in young marine roboticists – Singapore Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Challenge 2024 https://earthzine.org/igniting-passion-in-young-marine-roboticists-singapore-autonomous-underwater-vehicle-challenge-2024/ Fri, 05 Jul 2024 01:51:57 +0000 https://earthzine.org/?p=3830589

SAUVC continued its successful streak this year, organized during 5-8 April 2024. This year's event achieved a new milestone in terms of team registration and participation, solidifying its status as the largest SAUVC to date.

28 May, 2024

Hari Vishnu, Yuen Min Too, Bharath Kalyan with inputs from SAUVC organizing committee

SAUVC continued its successful streak this year with the 9th edition organized during 5-8 April 2024. This year's event achieved a new milestone in terms of team registration and participation, solidifying its status as the largest SAUVC to date. Endorsed by the United Nations Decade of Ocean Sciences, this edition underscored the event's alignment with the overarching goals of this global initiative, particularly addressing five out of its ten challenges. This endorsement also highlights the significant role played by IEEE OES within the framework of the Decade.

Notably, this edition held particular significance as it coincided with and was complemented by other OES events occurring in Singapore, namely the OES Summer School and the OCEANS 2024 Singapore conference, all within a week's timeframe. This convergence provided an invaluable opportunity for student teams to engage in hands-on learning through the challenge while also benefiting from tutorial-style education at the school, technical sessions, panel discussions at the conference, and interactions with the oceanic engineering community at large. Furthermore, participants could explore potential networking and career opportunities offered by OES programs such as CNET (Career and Networking Tours) at OCEANS.

This plan to synergize the events worked out successfully. Up to 80% of the summer school attendees was comprised of SAUVC team students who stayed back for the school, and there was some cross-participation across the events.

 

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Singapore AUV Challenge 2022 – A treat for robotics lovers, a learning experience for students

 
Robotics Asset Maintenance competition 2023

Robotics Asset Maintenance competition 2023

SAUVC in numbers

This year saw:

Teams setting up in the Singapore Polytechnic hall and interacting with the organizers, and SAUVC goodies!

Teams setting up in the Singapore Polytechnic hall and interacting with the organizers, and SAUVC goodies!

  • 79 teams registered for the event. These teams had to prequalify for participation by submitting a video of their AUV swimming underwater, with a requirement that the video should show it swimming for at least 15 seconds and demonstrating their AUV’s depth control.
  • 72 teams participated by submitting videos of their AUVs as part of pre-qualification requirements.
  • 43 teams were selected from the submitted videos to attend the event in Singapore. There was a clear jump in the quality of team videos this year as compared to previous years, and the judging team had a hard time shortlisting the teams, and strict quality criteria were used for filtering.
  • 37 of the selected teams made it into the event. Some teams could not make it due to non-receipt of a travel-visa on time, or technical or financial issues. This is a phenomenon observed in most events, as students in the region (especially South Asia) often develop their AUVs on tight budgets and do not necessarily find the funds to travel so far for the event. Nevertheless, despite the travel, visa and funding issues faced in the post-Covid era, it is impressive that so many teams made it and were able to participate.
  • 320 student participants made it to the event in total, from
  • 12 countries (India, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey, Russia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Japan and Bangladesh, in decreasing order of participants). Notably, we had the first ever team from the middle East (Saudi Arabia) participating at the event, and the second-ever team from Bangladesh. Needless to say, both teams were elated to be here!
  • 1 High-school team (from Alana Science High school, Turkey) performed very well at the competition, and the fact that they achieved this at an early stage in their education made it even more exciting.

The representation of teams from across Asia was yet again extensive, and shows the value that SAUVC brings to this region.

Students attending the initial safety, logistics and technical briefings.

The Challenge

SAUVC 2024 introduced two additional challenges this year as compared to previous year:

  • An underwater communication task, to encourage teams to think about this important technological problem that is necessary for boosting ocean exploration, and
  • A bonus round in the TCOMS Deep Ocean Basin facility in NUS, where teams had to deploy their vehicles in waves and currents generated in the facility, and pass through a gate.

The remaining tasks in this edition mirrored those of the previous one, following a two-tiered structure comprising a qualification round and a final round. To secure qualification, the AUV had to navigate from the designated starting line through the qualification gate without surfacing, contacting the bottom or walls, or the gate itself. The top 21 teams, achieving the swiftest times in the qualification round, progressed to the final round. During this stage, AUVs garnered points by executing a range of challenges designed to assess their abilities in acoustic and visual navigation, positioning, actuation, communication, and robotic manipulation. The ensuing table outlines the various functional capabilities under examination and their corresponding tasks.

No.

Task

Aspect of operation

1.

Passing through a gate, avoiding red flare

Navigation, Obstacle avoidance

2.

Locating a particular bucket amongst 4 options, and dropping a ball into it

Target acquisition and manipulation, Acoustic/Visual localization

3.

Moving out of the bucket arena, returning and reacquiring the ball dropped.

Target reacquisition and manipulation

4.

Bumping against a flare holding a ball to drop it, in a particular order

Underwater communication and Visual Localization

5.

Passing through a gate in TCOMs facility

Navigation in waves and currents (more realistic environment)

6.

Resurfacing at the end of the run

Controls
AUVs being debugged and deployed at the poolside, in the hot sun!

AUVs being debugged and deployed at the poolside, in the hot sun!

A red flare would be placed in front of the gate in the first task, which the teams were required to avoid, and hitting the red flare would incur the team’s run ending immediately. This was to make sure the tasks were more challenging this year, thus progressively upgrading the challenge.

Each task carried a certain number of points, depending on the challenge and the difficulty involved in performing it. There was also a timing bonus, and a bonus associated with weight and dimensions of the AUVs. Apart from this, the tasks were made more challenging through randomization of the position of the buckets, flare and gate and its orientation. A complete description of the tasks, static judging criteria and award of points are covered in the competition rule book available at https://sauvc.github.io/rulebook/.

Judges (Venu, Hari, Bharath, Rajat and Mandar) interacting with teams during the technical walkabout for judging the Innovation award and Engineering Quality award

Judges (Venu, Hari, Bharath, Rajat and Mandar) interacting with teams during the technical walkabout for judging the Innovation award and Engineering Quality award

SAUVC 2024 Award Winners

Some cool AUV designs

Some cool AUV designs

A notable improvement in this edition was that 21 teams qualified into the finals, which is the highest number to date. Hence, the competition in the finals was stiff. The winner of SAUVC 2024 was a returning champion from a previous edition (2014), Bumblebee Autonomous systems from the National University of Singapore. The top 5 teams in the finals were as follows:

  1. Bumblebee Autonomous systems, National University of Singapore
  2. Team Abyss from Bannari Amman Institute of Technology, India
  3. Mecatron from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
  4. Team Hydronautics from Bauman Moscow State Technical University, Russia
  5. Team Alesta from Alana Science high school, Turkey.

In addition to the top 3 finalists, we also awarded the following:

  • IEEE OES “innovation” award, which was constituted in 2019. This was judged by a technical panel consisting of 5 members. Innovation was defined as anything that is new/different and intentionally implemented for a specific stated purpose in SAUVC, with practically shown application. Based on the above criteria, the team Hydronautics from Bauman Moscow State Technical University was awarded the OES “most innovative engineering” award.
  • IEEE OES “Engineering quality” award, from the Singapore chapter. The award was for the most sound and robust engineering design, and was awarded to Team Pioneer from City University, Hong Kong.
  • Fastest team award, for the team that was fastest in the qualifier round. The team Alesta from Alana High School, Turkey, was awarded this prize, and it was also an encouragement for the young team. The award included two vouchers to attend the Breaking the Surface 2024 conference to be held in Croatia, allowing the teams to further their marine robotics training.
First prize winner and bonus round winner from Bumblebee, National University of Singapore being given the award by SP Deputy Director Goh Say Seng, and TCOMS CEO Chan Eng Soon

First prize winner and bonus round winner from Bumblebee, National University of Singapore being given the award by SP Deputy Director Goh Say Seng, and TCOMS CEO Chan Eng Soon

The bonus round was a specially celebrated feature of SAUVC 2024. It was conducted in TCOMS in the presence of waves and currents generated in the ocean facility artificially. It gave the top 5 teams in the finals a chance to try their vehicle in more challenging environments involving waves and currents. Though many of the teams prepared their vehicles, and some teams managed to get very close to the gate (but missed it due to technical issues, eg., this video ), only team Bumblebee from National University of Singapore managed to cross the gate in the bonus round with a superb performance from their vehicle (video here ). This was managed in the very last run of the vehicle just before time ran out, providing some nail-biting moments and drama to the round. The competition in TCOMs also provided an opportunity for other student teams to visit the state-of-the-art facility and learn more about ocean-simulation infrastructure, thus adding an educational element to it.

The participants of the bonus round with the organizers

The participants of the bonus round with the organizers

 

First runner-up team from Bannari Amman Institute of Technology, India.

First runner-up team from Bannari Amman Institute of Technology, India.

Gala Dinner, Award Ceremony and Panel discussion

The event culminated with a gala dinner on April 8th, where the prize announcements took place. This occasion not only provided teams with an opportunity to celebrate their achievements but also facilitated a relaxed networking atmosphere where they could engage with one another and with organizers from the underwater engineering community, spanning academia, industry, and defense sectors. The ceremony was hosted at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, creating a spirited and dynamic evening that included the distribution of participation certificates and the announcement of winners, sparking moments of joy and celebration. Following this, participants engaged in extensive discussions that stretched late into the night.

Furthermore, the event featured a panel discussion on the Ocean Decade, titled " Navigating the Blue Frontier: Innovations in Ocean Technologies and Autonomous Systems for addressing Ocean Decade Challenges," featuring notable figures from the marine robotics and education sectors. This panel discussion will be elaborated upon in a separate article within this edition of the Beacon. Additionally, a video showcasing Schmidt Ocean Institute (SOI)’s research vessel Falkor Too and the OES Berths of Opportunity was presented. In addition to students and panelists representing various academic and industry entities such as SUT, Subnero, Fugro, National University of Singapore, and Singapore Polytechnic, notable attendees included the Deputy Director of Singapore Polytechnic and the CEO of TCOMS Singapore.

Winners of the IEEE OES Innovation award from Bauman state technical university, Russia, and the Engineering Quality award from City University of Hong Kong, being given the award by William Kirkwood.

Winners of the IEEE OES Innovation award from Bauman state technical university, Russia, and the Engineering Quality award from City University of Hong Kong, being given the award by William Kirkwood.

Event publicity and social outreach

As in previous events, this event has been well covered on social media. The event was also publicized via the UN Ocean Decade’s ECOP programme’s, and IEEE Singapore section’s social media portal (e.g., here and here). It was put up on the UN Ocean Decade’s page as well. The event will be reported in the ECOP programme's newsletter as well, and in this sense, we established a good synergy between our event and the ECOP programme.

Our Facebook and Instagram handles showed a reach of 31,500 over the last year, of which 23,500 was over March to April 2024 alone. There were 1,200 content impressions and 1,200 content interactions over the last month. Instagram saw 9,052 accounts reached in the last 3 months alone, and 2,090 accounts who engaged with our profile. The posts reached followers mainly from South Asia (Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India), Indonesia, Turkey, U.S., and Singapore.

Sponsorship

OES has always been a regular supporter of SAUVC in terms of sponsorship. Additionally, SAUVC 2024 was sponsored by Office of Naval Research Global (ONRG), Schmidt Ocean Institute, Sonardyne, Technology Center for Offshore and Marine Singapore (TCOMS), Society for Underwater technology, BlueRobotics and Breaking the Surface 2024. SAUVC is run solely on sponsorship, and we would like to sincerely thank all our sponsors for their support.

Team Bumblebee AUV (top and bottom) crossing the gate in bonus round, and Team Mecatron (NTU) getting very very close to it!

Team Bumblebee AUV (top and bottom) crossing the gate in bonus round, and Team Mecatron (NTU) getting very very close to it!

Concluding Remarks

Summary of social media statistics for the event

Summary of social media statistics for the event

SAUVC has been successfully organized in nine consecutive editions over the past decade, establishing itself as possibly the largest and most prominent autonomous underwater vehicle competition for students in Asia and Europe. It has garnered considerable interest within the student robotics community and has had a tangible impact on student learning and ocean education outcomes.

The committee has noted the emergence of at least three marine robotics-based startups that originated from teams participating in SAUVC. These include BeeX in Singapore, which stemmed from the Bumblebee team, BRACU originating from the Bangladesh-based BRACU Duburi team, and another startup based on Team Tiburon from the National Institute of Technology Rourkela, India. The latter team even gained exposure on the reality TV show "Shark Tank India," where they garnered significant investor interest, attributing their success in part to their participation in SAUVC!

Previous SAUVC winners, such as Bumblebee and BRACU, have gone on to achieve success in other marine robotics competitions held in the USA, including RoboSub, showcasing how the learning experience at SAUVC has fostered the growth of these teams. Several teams in the current edition exhibited noticeable growth in both their AUVs and team structure, exemplified by Team Abyss from India, who were runners-up in this edition after securing the second runner-up position in SAUVC 2022.

SAUVC 2024 has established fruitful synergy with other IEEE OES events, including OCEANS 2024, the inaugural Summer School, CNET, and Breaking the Surface 2024. Various OES initiatives were also highlighted at the SAUVC gala dinner, including Berths of Opportunity and the AUV Symposium.  By not imposing a blanket registration fee for participation, SAUVC continues to attract significant participation each year. This no-registration fee policy aims to encourage novice teams to compete, with IEEE OES membership drives conducted as part of the registration process. The substantial representation in terms of participating countries, number of students, and diversity is deemed encouraging. Additionally, SAUVC prioritizes educational outreach, providing teams not only with a hands-on competition experience but also with valuable interactions with committee members and marine robotics experts who offer mentoring and guidance.

.

Sponsors of SAUVC 2024

Sponsors of SAUVC 2024

]]> editor@earthzine.org (Earthzine) Robotics for Asset Maintenance and Inspection (RAMI) 2023 competition https://earthzine.org/robotics-for-asset-maintenance-and-inspection-rami-2023-competition/ Sun, 05 May 2024 13:29:53 +0000 https://earthzine.org/?p=3830576

RAMI aims at addressing Inspection & Maintenance tasks in risky hostile environments

28 Mar, 2024

Gabriele Ferri, Alessandro Faggiani, Tommaso Fabbri, Fausto Ferreira

NATO-STO Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE) has been organising Student AUV Challenge – Europe (SAUC-E), the premier European student competition for underwater vehicles, since 2010. Over the years, we have been fostering autonomy and robotics in different events such as euRathlon 2015 Grand Challenge and the European Robotics League Emergency 2017, involving the use of multi-domain cooperative teams of robots in search and rescue scenarios. euRathlon 2015 Grand Challenge, organised in the framework of the euRathlon EU project, was the first world’s multi-domain robotics competition. Disaster response tasks were proposed to teams composed of land, sea and air robots and were held at a real power plant site, specifically Tor del Sale in Piombino, Italy. The inspiration came from the Fukushima 2011 accident.

This formula of multi-domain competitions has continued with the European Robotics League (ERL) Emergency. ERL is a common framework for robotics competition funded by the European Union. ERL was launched in 2016 in three vibrant fields of robotics: industrial, service and emergency robots. The first season culminated with the ERL Emergency 2017, a multi-domain competition again locally organised by CMRE at the Tor del Sale power plant site in Piombino. ERL Emergency 2018 and 2019 took place again in La Spezia and were planned to take place in 2020 and 2021 but the COVID-19 pandemic made it impossible to have physical competitions.
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Following this tradition, we have started in 2022 a new competition named Robotics for Asset Inspection and Maintenance (RAMI). RAMI is part of the ERL Emergency League and is organised in the framework of the EU-funded METRICS project (https://metricsproject.eu/) aiming at addressing Inspection & Maintenance (I&M) tasks achieved in risky and/or hostile environments where human intervention is challenging or impossible, where direct link with an operator could not be guaranteed and where autonomous decisions are necessary to reduce operational time of the inspection tasks and ensure repeatability while maintaining an appropriate safety level for the mission. RAMI proposes events for aerial robots, organised by CATEC (Spain), and for underwater vehicles organised by CMRE.

RAMI consists of both virtual and field competitions. At CMRE, we have organised two virtual competitions (https://metricsproject.eu/inspection-maintenance/rami-cascade-campaign-marine-2023/). In such competitions a dataset of images of underwater objects of potential interest (OPIs) are provided to teams, which are requested to develop the adequate software in order to classify, identify and localise images of OPIs of a test dataset. These virtual or cascade competitions are important to prepare teams for the field events and to attract researchers from other domains to tackle with underwater image processing challenges.

The first field event for marine robots was organised at CMRE seawater basin in July 2022. In this report, we present the second RAMI event, recently held at CMRE in July 2023.

The competition

CMRE hosted this year the RAMI23 robotics competition from 16 to 21 July. The competition took place in CMRE seawater basin. The areas were prepared to simulate an Oil & Gas plant in a harbour connecting it to the general theme of the RAMI competition: Inspection & Maintenance (I&M). To support teams’ growth, we proposed tasks similar to those present in ERL Emergency 2019 and in RAMI22.

The RAMI marine competition tasks are inspired by the following user story:

An Oil&Gas offshore site has to be investigated after that a malfunction has been reported by the plant safety systems. From what is known, a pipeline has started leaking and an explosion may occur soon.

A robotic team composed of underwater robots (AUVs) is ready to intervene. It is time for the emergency team to act. The priorities are to reach the area of the accident, and to assess and quantify the entity of the leak. Then the robots have to reach the pipe assembly area for quantifying the damage to the plant and for identifying which pipe has been damaged and is responsible for the leak. Finally, the robots must intervene on the plant itself by closing a valve to stop the leak to prevent the explosion and further damages to the environment.

Underwater robots were challenged to inspect a pipe structure, reach several waypoints and pass through a validation gate. In addition, several buoys of four possible colors had to be detected, localised and their colour recognised. A different action was requested to the teams depending on the buoy color: for instance, turning around the buoy in a clock-wise circle or stopping for 30 seconds increasing the depth. The objective was to force teams to integrate perception with adaptive mission planning in a realistic environment such as CMRE water basin. Finally, three manipulation tasks were proposed, specifically staying into contact with the pipe, valve closing and picking a stick, bringing that to the surface in a controlled way. These tasks were the only ones allowed to be performed through teleoperation (ROV mode), while all other tasks had to be performed autonomously. As in the previous editions, the challenges were held at the CMRE waterfront sea basin, which is a sheltered harbor, providing participants with the opportunity to grapple with real-life sea conditions, including limited visibility and salty water, but within a safe, controlled environment. The limited visibility added severe difficulties to object recognition by AUVs, even if the targets were bright orange or red in color.

Figure 1 (Left) The OUBOT’s team during the deployment. (Right) Judges controlling a mission from the Judge Tent.

We have noticed that, despite the COVID-19 interruption and related issues for the students, teams’ performance generally has been improving over the past years, especially for entries with experience in our competitions. UNIFI Robotics Team (Italy), in particular, accomplished several tasks, showing a good maturity in navigation, survey, buoy localization and manipulation. For the first time in our competitions, a buoy was classified correctly in real-time and the appropriate autonomous behaviour was triggered (the AUV changed depth in a controlled way). The other buoys were also localised, classified and identified in post-processing with good accuracy. All the teams were able to deploy their AUV in the water and to score some achievements. ITU AUV Team from the Istanbul Technical University (Turkey), for instance, was a rookie team in RAMI events. The team was the winner of the Singapore SAUVC 2022. SAUVC, sponsored by OES as well, is held in a swimming pool and targets at more junior teams. Despite some problems and difficulties in adapting to the sea scenario, they were able to accomplish manipulation tasks in the last day, showing good capabilities of adaptation and improvement in performance over the event week. This is extremely encouraging showing how competitions all around the world can be a common training ground for teams to grow and improve.

Further work has to be done to improve the performance of teams in real-time perception and related adaptive mission planning. Cascade competitions can help in this aspect.

Finally, for the first time in our event, we organised a student poster competition. This was an opportunity to further increase contacts and involvement between teams and the international experts present at the event.

The participant teams

This year 5 teams attended the event. Four teams attempted the competition tasks, while a fifth team only practiced in the arenas. It is to be noticed that after the COVID19 pandemic, some teams lost continuity as students graduate and there was no overlap between older generations and younger ones. This is why it is important to organise annual competitions and to support team participation, facilitating the succession with the required handover of experience. To start again after the COVID-19 period, we think it is pivotal to involve people with the aim to strengthen the community, and to contact and involve as much as possible participants and potential sponsors. This year, we had the participation of three teams at their first participation in our competitions, and the other two had attended many of our past events.  This good mixture of new and veteran teams shows how RAMI/ERL is today a fixed appointment for several European research groups, and continues to attract new venues.

The participant teams were:

  1. ITU AUV Team from the Istanbul Technical University in Turkey was the winner of the Singapore SAUVC 22, a competition held in a swimming pool. They participated in RAMI23 for the first time with their Taluy AUV.
  2. 2. NAUTILUS Team consisted of three people, from ESTACA School of Engineering in France. They were at their first participation in one of our competitions.
  3. UNIFI Robotics Team, from the University of Florence, Italy. A veteran of our competitions (first participation in 2012). They participated in RAMI23 with their FeelHippo AUV.
  4. OUBOT, from the Obuda University, Budapest, Hungary. This team had participated in euRathlon 2015 and ERL Emergency 2017. In these competitions, they participated thanks to an AUV loaned by the organisation. Then, they built their own robot to participate in our events.
  5. Team ERGO from the University of Pisa, Italy. Their robot, a Zeno vehicle manufactured by MDM Team company, was used mostly for practicing in the area and collecting optical and acoustic imaging. This is important in view of a future participation of the team in our events.

The winners

Figure 2 (Left) Identification of a yellow buoy by UNIFI Team’s robot. (Right) The manipulation console as imaged by UNIFI. The valve and the pole are visible, together with the number. Photo credit: NATO STO CMRE and UNIFI Team.

RAMI 2023 proposed one Task Benchmark (TBM) in a different competition day: Pipeline area inspection on Wednesday, Intervention on the pipeline structure on Thursday and finally the Complete mission at the plant on Friday. TBMs are oriented to task fulfillment and are judged by judges in real-time, or scrutinizing the data produced by teams within one hour from the end of their time-slot. On the other hand, Functionality Benchmarks (FBMs) aim to evaluate robot functionalities, such as mapping capabilities. They are evaluated after the competition by analyzing the output data from the teams.

UNIFI Robotics Team stood out in the three TBMs, winning all of the TBMs and having a draw in the Intervention on the pipeline with OUBOT team.  UNIFI Robotics Team was finally awarded with the SAUC-E 2023 award, the best team over all the proposed TBMs.

Furthermore, UNIFI Robotics Team also was first in rank in the FBMs involving mapping the area (detecting and localizing the coloured buoys) and object recognition (classifying and identifying the coloured buoys).

Other prizes awarded were:

  • “Best team SAUC-E award” (best team of the rankings over the three TBMs): UNIFI Robotics Team – voucher from Breaking the Surface sponsor.
  • “Best presentation” (teams were asked to give a presentation on their robot and team): ITU AUV Team – voucher from Breaking the Surface sponsor.
  • IEEE OES Innovation Award Plaque – UNIFI Robotics Team – 300 $ from IEEE OES sponsor.
  • “Best rookie team”: NAUTILUS Team.
  • “Most improved vehicle award”: OUBOT – ping sonar from Blue Robotics sponsor.
  • “Best student poster” – Simone Tani “Comparison of Monocular and Stereo Vision Approaches for Structure Inspection using Autonomous Underwater Vehicles,” ERGO Team – voucher from Breaking the Surface sponsor.

Feedback

The feedback from both the participants and the judges was very positive. We have noticed a general improvement in teams’s performance. In particular, we had good results in tasks involving the combination of real-time perception with autonomous behaviours. For instance, UNIFI Team was capable, for the first time in our competitions, to detect a buoy in real-time, to determine its colour and to react with the required behaviour. This witnesses how proposing the same tasks over different editions can support the gradual growth of participant teams. At the same time, it is felt the need to keep or create some simple tasks for the newcomers (we had two rookie teams this year). We will try to achieve this trade-off between more complex and more basic tasks in the future, to be attractive for both new entries, and for more experienced teams, which require to be pushed by more challenging missions. The realistic scenario, which attracts participants, is also central to involve end-users and companies. This year, for instance, we had one judge from ROSEN group and many judges from the U.S., interested in our realistic set-up. Results of RAMI23 showed, for most of the teams, good performance in autonomous navigation, mapping and imaging. However, in general, more work and support are needed for real-time perception and autonomy. This will be addressed in the future campaigns. In the ongoing cascade campaign, we provided teams with an underwater image dataset for developing image processing software. This is important to prepare teams to challenge with real-world conditions; especially when there is a lack of available datasets in the underwater domain to support the development and the validation of image processing algorithms.

The judges

Figure 3 Teams and the Organising Committee during the award ceremony at CMRE.

We had more than 30 judges and observers from Europe and U.S., both from companies, academia and research institutions. In particular, this year’s edition saw a large presence of judges and experts from the U.S. We had people from key-players in the Oil&Gas field, such as ROSEN group (Germany), DLR (Germany), FINCANTIERI and Leonardo (Italy). From the U.S. we  had the strong presence and support of the Office of Naval Research (ONR). Other judges were present from NRL, Spawar and RoboNation. As in previous competitions, CMRE provided the full engineering and logistical support during the event execution. Teams were supported by CMRE logistics, having access to a good support, since engineers and technicians helped the teams with suggestions and supply parts. This was appreciated  by teams and is crucial in helping teams to solve the unavoidable technical issues. Teams’ general feedback was very positive regarding the marine trial area and the way the scenario was setup.

The local community was also engaged. Local schools from the La Spezia area were also involved in the framework of Giona’s Project. This allowed around 20 students close to high school graduation to come and interact with the teams.

Sponsors

Figure 4 The RAMI23 Organising Committee awarded by Bill Kirkwood with a plaque in recognition by IEEE OES of the excellence in the organisation of robotics competitions over the last 10 years.

As in previous years, IEEE OES played a fundamental role as the Main Sponsor. IEEE OES supported team travel and participation. This is essential to attract teams and allow them to take part in such complex events. One of the RAMI goals is to educate future multi-disciplinary engineers. Therefore, the sponsorship of ‘Breaking the Surface’ 2023, the 15th Interdisciplinary Field Workshop of Marine Robotics and Applications, is well aligned with our mission. The organisers of ‘Breaking the Surface’ provided complimentary registrations for three students.  These students had the opportunity to participate in the 15th edition of this multi-disciplinary and educational workshop that since 2019 counts with the IEEE OES sponsorship.

As in the past, we again had the marine robotics commercial sector involved. Blue Robotics gave a Ping sonar to the team that won the ‘Most improved vehicle’ award. Other sponsors were Fincantieri and ROV-Expert.

Our aim is to continue to develop RAMI as a unique event that challenges teams with realistic conditions, with an emphasis on precise metrological evaluation. These achievements were made possible thanks to the fundamental support of IEEE OES and all our other sponsors. We thank all the teams, judges, presenters, visitors, staff and everyone involved, who made RAMI 2023 such as a successful event.

]]> editor@earthzine.org (Earthzine)