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Tests on the AutoNaut robot at UEA. Dr. Martin Wadley, who designed and built the tests.
Image: ANTONY KELLY
Archant Norfolk 2018
UEA researchers help design a robotic boat capable of surviving the extreme temperatures of the Antarctic.
Tests on the AutoNaut robot at UEA. Dr. Martin Wadley, who designed and built the tests.
Photo: ANTONY KELLYL & # 39; s Team from East Anglia University (UEA) is working with AutoNaut Ltd engineers to create a vessel that will collect vital information about the cause of l & # 39; sea level rise.The boat will use the waves to propel itself forward and is equipped with solar panels to power the electronic systems on board.But with air temperatures below -10 ° C, there is a risk of ice formation on the ship, which could damage some scientific sensors.This is why the UEA researchers conducted a series of tests in a chamber specifically designed for ice sea, which reproduces the polar environment. Tests on the AutoNaut robot at UEA.
Photo: ANTONY KELLYProf Karen Heywood of the UEA School of Environmental Sciences said, "AutoNaut will be able to collect scientific data very effectively over long distances and long missions. "We need to understand how hot water goes under the Antarctic ice to melt it and cause sea level rise." The team tested different coatings to make the surface of the boat non-sticky. It is hoped that the coatings will allow the spray to come off. the boat before it can freeze. Tests on the AutoNaut robot of the UEA.
Photo: ANTONY KELLY should form enough ice on the boat, it could capsize and not stand up alone. Martin Wadley, the designer and test builder, said, "We were surprised by the results so far. the coatings we hoped to push back on the ice were in fact incrusted with ice, which could pose a problem for the boat in the polar oceans. The coatings were tested in the Roland von Glasow sea ice chamber of the UEA. test the various components of the boat in extreme conditions. The unmanned boat will be used to collect and transmit autonomously data from the ocean surface – such as air temperature, speed of the wind, abundance of plankton or carbon dioxide – so that scientists can measure the amount of heat and gas exchanged between the atmosphere and the ocean.These sensors will allow scientists to better understand the extreme environments of Oceans of high latitude, with a significant reduction in costs and risks compared to climati vessels research or other techniques.
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