This week was one of the best yet – testing. With many weeks of work done on the vehicle by the highly skilled Sentry team, Sentry is almost ready to exit its overhaul period and get back to sea. The last step in the overhaul, as is traditionally the last step in any engineering implementation, is testing. Sentry can be tested in a number of ways, but for this testing period it was privy to all of them.
Sentry all ready for deck testing, in the vehicle bay
First was deck testing, which is exactly what it sounds like. Out of water, the general functionality of Sentry is tested. This includes engaging thrusters, moving servos, checking battery diagnostics, flashing strobes, beeping acoustic transmitters, and more. This is the first all-vehicle check to ensure that things are working after the extensive take-apart of the vehicle. During this iteration of testing, the team discovered some issues with the response time of the multibeam’s transmitting transducer, or its TX unit. We troubleshooted by changing the TX unit (a heavy–40lb–ceramic red rectangle that houses the necessary components and is bolted to the bottom of the vehicle) out for a spare. To do this, we didn’t actually change anything about the vehicle–a technician simply propped up the spare unit on a wooden block, so that the cable which connected the TX to the rest of the vehicle could reach the spare instead. This is an important bit of experienced/insider knowledge, because often the problem isn’t where you “think” it is, and if you were to actually switch out the whole TX unit and then discover it wasn’t the problem, you would have wasted at least an hour and a lot of nerves! It was discovered that the spare didn’t work either–so likely the issue wasn’t the spare, but really another component. Because the multibeam is a non-critical sensor, although a very important one, the team decided to defer the issue until well testing when more data could be gathered which would help troubleshoot the cause of the issue.
After deck testing–numerous times–comes well testing. Well testing is a lot more explanatory than I initially thought–it is essentially, sticking the robot in a well, and seeing how it does in water. This serves the same purpose as deck testing, as well as checking that all parts have been sealed properly (to prevent leaking of oil, which is annoying at surface but fatal under pressure) and the ability to actually gather data from the sensors and check that they are truly operating properly. Because most of the sensors rely upon acoustic data, and some even rely upon flushing ocean water through themselves, it is important that they are submerged to really understand how they are functioning.
That’s all for this week–hope you enjoyed! I sure did :).
On the 1st of July, we completed our final dive operation and started on post cruise tasks. Instead of rolling the sub all the way back into the hanger, we rolled to the middle of the deck and pulled off all the skins (large fiberglass panels that cover the exterior systems). Laying all of the skins on the deck of the ship, we began spraying down every inch of the submersible with a special titanium safe detergent solution. We used large scrub brushes to clean the syntactic foam surfaces and the removed skins. After the cleaning, we reinstalled most of the skins and rolled the sub back inside the hanger.
The Alvin submersible getting a thorough post cruise cleaning.
The next morning, we arrived back in Dutch Harbor and continued our post cruise duties. One of my roles during this period was to prepare all of the sub’s hydraulic and oil compensated systems for hibernation. This involved hooking up a vacuum pump to every junction box reservoir and hydraulic system one at a time. I then slightly drain down the fluid level in each volume. For humidity sensitive systems, such as the 2 main junction boxes, I would replace the oil as it was drained with nitrogen gas, ensuring no humid air would be introduced into the new atmosphere. Draining down these systems ensures temperature changes during transit and other expeditions will not build excess pressure inside the delicate boxes.
Beautiful morning arriving back into Dutch Harbor
Port side Main junction box (left), and battery contactor box (Right), both drained down a few inches.
Once all systems were prepared, we installed the huge blue car-style canvas cover, ensuring Alvin would stay nice and clean while not being used.
Alvin under the big cover.
The day of July 3rd, we finished tidying up all of the Alvin work spaces and buttoned down the equipment that won’t be used for a while. We then spent the next few hours cleaning our rooms and packing up all of our belongings, getting ready to disembark the Atlantis. In the early afternoon, I disembarked for the last time and got a ride to the grand Aleutian hotel! The Alvin team and I didn’t fly out of Dutch Harbor until the 5th, so we had a few days to explore the breathtaking landscape.
After we left Dutch Harbor on the 5th, we landed in Anchorage. I stayed another two days there with a few members of the Alvin team, exploring the area.
The following section is basically a photo album of my favorite pictures and fondest memories, including my adventures in Dutch harbor and anchorage.
Work in progress photo of my hand painted helmet!
The 2 most incredible dive day sunrises.
An awesome picture taken by Lance Wills. The picture shows the Alvin submersible being brought in by the tow line. The person standing at the right corner of the ship is me watching the recovery!
A silly picture of Myself, Alex on the left and Colten on the right. Two members of the ship’s crew.
Mt Cleveland left and Mt Carlisle right, two of the incredible volcanos that make up The Islands Of The Four Mountains.
One of the Aleutian islands emerging from the fog during a rainstorm.
Moving onto my land based adventures, there were many! From hiking to the summit of one of the Aleutian mountains to hanging out around a bonfire with some of the incredible folks that call Dutch Harbor home.
3 photos I captured from the peak of Amaknak Island Unalaska.
An incredible view and a snowmelt pond near one of Unalaska’s peaks.
A few of my favorite rock stacks I made on a beach in Dutch harbor.
Sitting around a bonfire behind the Norwegian Rat Saloon, after the cruise.
Resting in a meadow after a hike in anchorage, with some of the Alvin team. Wren, Molly, Janna, and Nick.
Two more pictures from our adventures in Anchorage.
Lastly here is a photo of me! This photo was taken the night we first arrived in Dutch harbor after the 11 day transit from San Diego.
This adventure has been one of the most incredible experiences of my life. The opportunity to work on the Alvin team as a mechanical technician, even for a month, is something truly unique and an adventure I won’t soon forget. Thank you for reading my blog posts! I hope you enjoyed my adventure, because I certainly did!
I am so excited to share my adventures from this week with you! Let’s start with a routine update of the work I’ve been able to accomplish this week, and then I’ll tell you about my super-exciting mini oceanography cruise.
After my presentation last week, I’ve pivoted gears from simply researching data science solutions to really digging into generating a proof of concept. I say all of this, but of course, I spent the majority of this week setting up, installing, and configuring the necessary software for that proof of concept. It turns out that deep-sea robots are incredibly complex—and that’s after all the work has already been done to make them! Just “plugging in” to the system, so to speak, is an endeavor all by itself.
So, this week I spent a lot of time jumping down various rabbit holes in order to correctly set up ROS (Robotic Operating System) on a virtual machine, and I finally have it up and running. I was even able to run this really cool simulation of Sentry.
Separately, this week I had the opportunity to go on a short, few-hours-long intro-to-field-oceanography cruise! We boarded the ship—a small but decently sized fishing vessel owned by a community member who participates in a large amount of citizen science here at WHOI—and cruised out of the harbor.
We deployed a camera tow and were able to visualize and inspect eel grass forests. It was a bit choppy in the channel, so we weren’t able to see as much as we had hoped with the camera, unfortunately. But the best part was yet to come—we deployed a number of catchment vessels to pull up some critters to research! We dredged a small section of the bottom, used a floating plankton catcher, and deployed a lobster pot.
Here are some more pictures from that short but sweet adventure:
Hope you enjoyed the pictures—I hope they made up for last week’s lack!
This week was jam-packed with a variety of activities and opportunities to learn!
On Wednesday, the AOPE (Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering) staff held scientific presentations, where scientists and engineers gave lightning-round talks about their current research and past findings. It was really cool to hear about the huuuuuge variety of things people are researching—all within the same department.
For example, many scientists are investigating the role and dynamics of sea ice and glaciers. Others are studying the health of kelp forests in South Africa and creating an accessible online map of the world’s giant (and other) kelp forests. Through the website, you can go back—say, 50 years—and explore how the forests have grown or disappeared over time.
In contrast, some researchers are using machine learning and artificial intelligence to “train” robots to swim gracefully—or, more scientifically, to move hydrodynamically through the ocean. Instead of brute-forcing their way through the water, these robots use physics and optimized movement to their advantage.
These are just two extremes of the research happening within the AOPE department. When I compare that to the work I’m doing in the DSL, and the work of those around me, it really highlights the incredible breadth of AOPE’s mission. You can also see how all of these pieces come together. For example, I can envision the data collected by Sentry (the deep-sea robot my team works on) being used to analyze certain oceanic plumes. Those findings, in turn, could help explain why certain oceanic vegetation—like giant kelp—is thriving or not.
There’s a chain of research and a cycle of knowledge that flows not just from Sentry and our robotics teams to external scientists, but internally as well. That’s part of what makes WHOI function so exceptionally.
Back to my work—this week, I had my mid-internship design review and presented my findings on data management for the Sentry machine learning pipeline to members of the Sentry team. The presentation went great, and the feedback I received will serve as a strong foundation for bringing Sentry into the future.
I deeply apologize for the lack of pictures this week—although, that probably gives you an accurate sense of how focused I’ve been on preparing for my presentation!
I hope you had a great 4th of July last weekend–I certainly did, and I’ve got some updates to share!
Starting off strong, I’ve continued to dig into the world of big data science, and I’ve been exploring some tools that other institutions and entities have made for robotics and similar projects. The good news is their solutions are offering guidance on what ours should look like, but the neutral news is that their solutions aren’t going to work for our solution!
I’ve been putting together a presentation to share my research and findings with the rest of the Sentry software team, and I’ll be presenting that this Thursday to receive feedback and input on my proposed architecture design. To give you an idea of the type of thing I am talking about, here is a quick mockup of a possible solution’s architecture.
The other really exciting thing that happened this week isn’t exactly to do with Sentry, but it was inspired by it. Being around big, awesome, deep sea vehicles really gets you inspired. So inspired, in fact, that you may even become the owner of a vehicle yourself–for your own tinkering and scientific experiments of course.
This past weekend I picked up a deep cherry red 1975 Honda CB200 motorcycle.
I drove a moving truck 100 miles, on a 6 hour drive that should have taken me 2 hours, through peak 4th of July traffic to retrieve such a treasure and I’ll say it was completely worth it. Here’s a picture of the motorcycle when I picked it up.
And here are some comparison pictures on my first maintenance project; de-rusting and revitalizing the front suspension forks.
left fork before Right fork after
This small beast definitely has a lot of work left, but no worries because I don’t even know how to drive a motorcycle yet. All in good time!
This week I got to get my hands a bit more dirty and really dive into the mechanics of data science and the data world of robotics.
I’ve been assigned a project which will help Sentry and other AUVs utilize machine learning, deep learning, and other advanced computer thinking techniques.
The problem statement and background is this:
Sentry cruises are structured in that there are a certain number of dives each cruise, anywhere between 5-15 is typical. Between each dive, when the vehicle is pulled shipside there are a number of checks and maintenance tasks performed on the vehicle. During these checks, experts will look over the data that Sentry retains from the dive. There is so much data, but the type that these experts are after is the engineering data and the sensor data. Engineering data reports upon things like thruster performance and battery health during the dive, whereas sensor data is the juicy stuff: it’s what the scientists are after, and what the whole point of the dive is. The thing is, the sensor data is helpful for us engineers as well. Experts can comb over the sensor data and notice if sensors are calibrated incorrectly, or if something is going wrong on a hardware or software level. The engineers then adjust the hardware and software accordingly, and this process happens each dive.
The issue is, some errors are sneaky, and not detectable even to the trained eye until much later in the post processing process, after the cruise has ended. This ends up causing big problems, as it can even render scientific data unusable or “dirty”. So the long term goal of the project I am working on is to automate this process, and be able to catch any errors or data discrepancies in the field, and be able to adjust accordingly so valuable data isn’t lost.
The specific project I am working on to meet that goal is about assembling a machine learning pipeline to automate that process and to even learn new things about the data in the process. The part of the pipeline “under construction” right now is the data staging area. We have tens of terabytes of archived dive data, from just Sentry dives alone. The question is, how do we successfully manage and organize this data, and using what platforms and tools, so that it is optimized to make Sentry a smarter robot? So that the solution is optimized to be used for training and deploying models, that can greatly improve the performance of not just Sentry, but other vehicles in due time.
Anyways, that’s a bit of what I’m working on! Right now it is mostly in the design and planning stages, but like I said, I’m getting my hands “dirty” with a bit of code!
Since my last post, I have concluded my technical internship aboard the R/V Atlantis. Now that I’m back home, I can take some time to update my blog and tell the story of Alvin Dive operations.
Departing Dutch harbor on June 15, we set sail further west along the Aleutian chain.
Pilot boat pacing alongside the Atlantis waiting to pick up the Pilot.
Arriving at our first dive location on the 15th a few miles off Bogoslof island, my job was to arrange the science basket by installing and moving around push cores and bio quivers, attaching Niskins, and securing bio boxes. I would meet with the Alvin Pilots frequently, getting feedback on equipment position and making changes to ensure the instruments were in optimal positions for the robotic arms to access.
Science basket prepared for first dive operation
The morning of the 16th at 5:30am, we started completing the first pre-dive checklists of the expedition. My role as a mechanical technician that morning was to top off all of the compensated volumes on the vehicle. These are oil filled volumes that enclose various critical systems including the main junction boxes, battery contactors, and solenoids. There were 3 main types of oils that I would top off: bray, carnation, and hydraulic. Topping off these volumes included plugging in a portable pump sprayer, with the desired oil, into one of the the fill ports on the vehicle and connecting a drain bottle to the opposite end of the system. I would then lightly pressurize the system, monitoring the fluid entering the drain bottle, ensuring there were no air or waters pockets within the system. This process was repeated for each of the 14 main oil compensated volumes on the port and starboard side of the sub.
Taking a short break from pre-dive tasks to watch this breathtaking sunrise over the Bering Sea.
My morning tasks would vary by day. Sometimes I would polish and inspect the windows while other days I would spend most of the pre-dive making basket adjustments, ensuring all the sample collection devices were arranged how the science team and pilot preferred.
Testing the port side manipulator to ensure all joints are functioning properly.
Next, we would roll the sub out onto the back deck, and install the drop weights. These six weights are the main form of major buoyancy adjustment. All six attached allows the sub to descend fast, release two weights to achieve neutral buoyancy, and release an additional two weights to ascend to the surface. The last two weights are reserved to allow additional weight loss, in case extra buoyancy is needed to resurface. These weights are installed using specially designed hand carts that lift them using a hand-crank style forklift mechanism.
Installing steel drop weights alongside Alvin Mechanical Technician, Wren Sakai.
Deploying The Submersible
After all pre-dive checks are completed and signed off, the sub is attached to the LARS (launch and recovery system). The sub is attached to the LARS by several points: a tail line to prevent rotation, a main line wrapped around a titanium T-shaped lifting point, and a large hook that actuates downwards, locking into the lifting T. The pilot and scientific observers enter the submersible, and the hatch is sealed. Two divers are positioned on top of the submersible, and the vehicle is lifted off the deck of the ship. Once the vehicle is over the water, the main line is tightened, allowing the hook to release the vehicle. The main line then lowers the vehicle into the water. Once the sub is floating, the swimmers detach the main line and the tail line, allowing the sub to drift away from the ship. After some final checks, the basket support lines are removed, and the sub is ready to dive. The work boat picks up the swimmers, and the sub floods its ballast tanks, allowing the vehicle to begin sinking.
LARS moving into position to be hooked up to the Alvin sub.
Recovery Operations
After the science dive, we would stage the deck for recovery one hour before the sub surfaced. This included ensuring the tow line was ready to be deployed, and laying out various tools such as drills used to loosen the subs panels and drain bottles for fluid inspection.
The recovery would begin by first lowering the work boat into the water off the side of the ship. The work boat then cruises ahead of the ship to meet the Alvin sub as it surfaced. The boat drops off two swimmers who prepare the vehicle for recovery. When the vehicle is ready to be picked up, one swimmer stays on the sub while the other swimmer boards the work boat. The boat drives back to the ship and positions itself behind the Atlantis, as the ship slowly approaches the sub. We then lower the rear lifelines and prepare to throw the tow line to the work boat. Passing the tow line to the work boat was sometimes my role during the recovery. Once the sub was halfway past the ship, I would toss the heavy rope and floating hook to the work boat. The heavy rope attached to the center-back of the ship would pay out line, and I would monitor the amount of line remaining while communicating with the recovery coordinator. The work boat then intercepts the submersible as the tow line swimmer dives off the work boat, attaching the tow line to the back of the sub. The swimmers then deploy a sea anchor, a sort of underwater parachute secured to the submersible. This allows the sub to be held in tension behind the ship as it is reeled in like a big fish. Once the sub is directly behind the ship, the tail line is lowered and attached to the sub, soon followed by the main line. The sub can then be lifted out of the water and the swimmers dive off the side of the sub to be recovered by the work boat.
Swimmers diving off Alvin as it’s lifted from the water.
One of my frequent jobs was to remove the tow line from the back of the sub after it had been lifted over the deck and as it was being lowered. I would then immediately move into post dive tasks.
One of the Alvin technicians, Scott, removing the tow line as the sub is being lifted onto the deck
Post Dive
Once the sub landed on deck, the Alvin team and I would move in with pins to secure any remaining weights, install life lines, rinse down the sub with fresh water, and place protective covers over the windows.
Me rinsing down the windows and cameras post dive.
The work boat being lifted out of the water right after recovery.
During the majority of post dives, I would sit beside the sub right after it landed on deck and check every oil volume for traces of water intrusion. I would plug a waste bottle into 19 different oil volume drain lines, one at a time, and inspect for water or abnormalities. During this time, the scientists and pilot climb out of the sub and are welcomed by an applaud from the crew and science team. We then roll the sub back into the hanger and finish an extensive list of post-dive inspections and tasks. My usual job was working the scientists. I assisted in removing various equipment and samples from the basket, so the scientists can begin their analysis and packaging of specimens.
My perspective of checking compensated volumes for water.
This formed the pattern that most days followed with the occasional excitement where I would be asked to repair or inspect components that had failed during the dive. These tasks meant anything from reinstalling damaged mounting brackets on the science basket to disassembling and re-compensating large brushless thruster and hydraulic motors.
One of the large brushless motors partially disassembled and filled with WD40 to drive out any possible moisture.
The 18 day science expedition proved to be a big success! Despite several dive days being canceled due to weather conditions, we were still able to accomplish nearly all of the 13 dives we set out to complete.
Keep an eye out for one more blog update describing the post cruise activities including preparing the Alvin for its next few months of rest and even the non-work related adventures I was able to go on while in Alaska.
I’ve had a first week jam packed with learning and exploring, both intellectually and geographically! To start with the intellectual; I have been gaining familiarity with the procedures and structures of which the team at WHOI operates Sentry, as well as digging into databases and machine learning pipelines. A lot of hours of research here, so not much else to share but I have learned a lot!
Geographically, I’ve explored a ton of beaches – my favorite being Nobska Beach which features a light house right on the eastward bluff. I also got to tour a few of the robotics facilities and meet them face to face (the deep sea robots, that is). And, last but certainly not least, I’ve been participating in the summer softball league and lets just say that the Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering team is eaaaasily the best.
Hey blog readers! My name is Steph Long and I am extremely excited to be writing this entry.
I am a rising junior double majoring in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Brown University, in Providence, RI.
If I had to describe the core of who I am in a byline, I would say that I am deeply fascinated by the unknown – whether that be the depths of the ocean, the vast horizons of space, the view from the next mountain ridge on a hike, or the number of peanut butter cups in my favorite pint of Ben & Jerrys ice cream. I would also say that I am most driven not only by what I do not know, but more specifically by what no human knows. So hopefully it comes as no surprise that I am really really interested in the utilization of robotics and engineering to explore inhospitable environments, such as the deep sea.
In my free time, I like to take my aptitude for engineering things and apply it to the highest stake activity possible–crafting. I recently have gotten really into sewing my own jeans, carving linocut stamps, and any other type of creative outlet that satisfies my need to build (on a lower frequency than robotics). On my drive out to Woods Hole I stopped at an art thrift store, so with any luck hopefully I will soon also be able to say I am into jewelry making! I also love the outdoors and this past year have gotten really into backpacking, so I look forward to filling my weekends with riding my bike around the Cape and camping on any shore that will have me.
snagged this picture of the beach near my housing after I moved in today!
Tomorrow I begin my internship in the National Deep Submergence Facility at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, specifically working on the Sentry AUV– an autonomous robot capable of diving 6,000 meters under the ocean’s surface. So I invite you to come along with me, and submerge yourself into the world that is deep sea robotics. I’m super excited to learn as much as I can, and to share my experience with all of you!
Today is day 17 aboard the R/V Atlantis! After 11 days on the pacific ocean, we have finally arrived in Dutch Harbor, but I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me start from the beginning. Boarding the ship, I was immediately met by a welcoming team who I would soon realize are some of the coolest, most genuinely passionate and skilled engineers in the world.
Forewarning this post has lots of pictures.
Walking back to the R/V Atlantis at night, with the backdrop of the San Diego skyline.
I spent the next several days working closely with the Alvin team, preparing the submersible and its supporting work spaces for the transit cruise ahead. These tasks included everything from organizing and cleaning the machine shop to assisting with the removal and inspection of Alvin’s viewport windows.
Cleaning and inspection of Alvin’s starboard forward window.
Leaving port in San Diego.
On Sunday, June 1st, we set sail on our journey to Dutch Harbor. Within 24 hours of leaving San Diego, we were greeted by 3 days straight of rough, unforgiving, turbulent ocean. Turning wrenches while getting covered in hydraulic fluid and fighting to keep your balance in 20 foot seas really tests your grit. The only escape from this constant roller coaster happened at night. The loud banging of waves crashing against the boat, the roar of the engines, and the shifting of every secured item in the ship trying to escape, formed a loud symphony, aggressively rocking you to sleep.
This sleep was occasionally disrupted by being thrown into the wall of your bunk by a large wave, or, in my case, the horrible sound of a gallon of bleach finding its way out of a cabinet in my room, flying through the air, and exploding against the opposite wall! Needing to evacuate your room at 3am because of a chemical spill is a rude awakening, one I will never forget.
Despite the challenges, this transit cruise was one of the most incredible experiences of my life so far. Having the opportunity to put my skills to the test in such a demanding environment is extremely rewarding.
Here are a few notable pictures I took during transit.
Here are 2 photos captured from the same angle. The first shows the back of the ship being pushed well above the horizon. The second picture shows the large swell as it continued on its journey.
Here is a picture of the rough unforgiving ocean captured from a hydro lab port side window.
This is a small part of the variable ballast hydraulics system featuring the accumulator, one of the many systems I have done maintenance on during transit.
A beautiful 10pm sunset off the port side. The first calm water in days.
Breathtaking view as we crossed over the Aleutians into the Bering Sea.
A perfectly cold and beautiful morning, arriving in Dutch Harbor, Alaska.
Since arriving in Dutch Harbor, the Alvin team has been hard at work preparing the submersible for the upcoming dive expedition. However, the convenient midnight sunset allows plenty of daylight for exploring this breathtaking new scenery after work.
Preparing to install Alvin’s Ballast tanks.
The view from Fort Schwatka on Amaknak Island, featuring Broad Bay, and Fort Learnard on the far cliffs.
This opportunity has been incredible so far, and it’s just the beginning. Tomorrow June 15, we will be departing on our 18 days of dive operations, exploring what lies bellow the surface of this breathtaking place!
