Small-scale Underwater Robotics Development for Underwater Archaeological Applications
- Conference
- Location
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Tampa, Florida
- Publication Date
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June 15, 2019
- Start Date
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June 15, 2019
- End Date
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June 19, 2019
- Conference Session
- Tagged Division
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Ocean and Marine
- Page Count
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11
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--33271
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/33271
- Download Count
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506
Paper Authors
Byul Hur Texas A&M University
Dr. B. Hur received his B.S. degree in Electronics Engineering from Yonsei University, in Seoul, Korea, in 2000, and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA, in 2007 and 2011, respectively. In 2017, he joined the faculty of Texas A&M University, College Station, TX. USA, where he is currently an Assistant Professor. He worked as a postdoctoral associate from 2011 to 2016 at the University Florida previously. His research interests include Mixed-signal/RF circuit design and testing, measurement automation, environmental & biomedical data measurement, and educational robotics development.
Rogelio Casas Jr Texas A&M University
Rogelio Casas Jr. was an ESET student at Texas A&M University and graduated in the Fall of 2018. He was the Project Manager throughout the project and is currently working at General Motors in Austin, Texas as a Software Developer. He plans on continuing his education through hands-on training and a potential Masters in Computer Science.
David Anthony Cervantes
David Cervantes graduated with a B.S degree in Electronic Systems Engineering Technology from Texas A&M University in the Fall of 2018, where he worked as the Software Application Engineer for SEAL. He is currently employed by SPEA America in San Jose, California as an Application Test Engineer.
Justin Raymond Comer
Justin Comer graduated with a B.S degree in Electronic Systems Engineering Technology from Texas A&M University in the Fall of 2018, where he worked as the Hardware Engineer for SEAL. He is currently employed by Oncor Electric Delivery in Irving, Texas as a Protection and Control Technician.
Brielle Roxanne De Anda
Brielle De Anda graduated with a B.S degree in Electronic Systems Engineering Technology from Texas A&M University in the Fall of 2018, where she worked as the Mechanical Designer and Test Engineer for SEAL. She is currently employed by SPEA America in Chandler, Arizona as an Application Test Engineer.
Landon James Ledbetter Oncor Electric Delivery
Landon Ledbetter graduated with a B.S. degree in Electronic Systems Engineering Technology from Texas A&M University in the Fall of 2018, where he worked as the Embedded Software Engineer for SEAL. He is currently employed at Oncor Electric Delivery in Fort Worth, Texas as a Protection and Control Technician where he works with the underground electrical network in downtown Fort Worth.
Andres Fly
Erika L. Davila Texas A&M University
Erika Davila is a Molecular Biology and Neuroscience student in Texas A&M University and graduated in 2017. Erika oversaw the chemical analysis and science behind the project. Now Erika is pursuing a Ph.D. program in Neuroscience in hopes of doing research on neurodegenerative diseases.
Grace E Tsai Texas A&M University
Grace Tsai graduated with bachelor degrees in Psychology and Anthropology from the University of California, San Diego in 2011. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Anthropology, Nautical Archaeology Program at Texas A&M University. She served as an industry advisor and stakeholder in the capstone team, Submersible Exploration Aquatic Labs (SEAL), given her nautical archaeology background, and guided the team by explaining archaeologists’ needs in the field, desirable ROV specifications, and current technology used during field work. She has also led students as a business mentor for water monitoring systems, and guided and tracked students' progress collecting customer interviews through the NSF I-Site program.
Her personal research focuses on understanding post-medieval seafaring life through analysis of diet and physical labor on sailors’ health. Her most recent field work includes the Gnaliç Project, an excavation of a sixteenth-century Venetian galley that sank off the coast of Croatia, the Burgaz Harbor Project, an excavation of Hellenistic harbors in Turkey, and the Shelburne Steamboat Project, an excavation of a steamboat graveyard in Vermont. She has also helped catalogue lead fishnet weights from Uluburun, a late Bronze Age shipwreck, in Turkey. In her free time, she works as the co-founder and CDO of Bezoar Laboratories LLC, a R&D company focusing on probiotic supplements.
Abstract
Nautical archaeologists explore bodies of water around the world to survey wrecks and artifacts. If a worthy site is discovered and appropriate funding is acquired, a site is excavated to extract artifacts and sometimes the entire wreck. Divers physically swim over the site to record and excavate remains, and in many cases remove artifacts. After objects are lifted from the water, archaeological conservation methods are used to keep the artifacts intact, and the proper conservation method often depends on the chemical makeup of the water in which the artifact was submerged. For the divers’ safety and the conservation of the artifacts, underwater environmental data are critical to collect prior to and during the excavation. No device specifically for this purpose currently exists, as such, a customized small-scale underwater robot was developed for underwater archaeological applications. In this paper, a small-scale underwater robot developed for underwater archaeological applications through an Engineering Technology Capstone project is presented. This underwater vehicle can measure temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, pressure, and salinity levels. Moreover, it can collect water samples for further lab testing during the conservation process.
Hur, B., & Casas, R., & Cervantes, D. A., & Comer, J. R., & De Anda, B. R., & Ledbetter, L. J., & Fly, A., & Davila, E. L., & Tsai, G. E. (2019, June), Small-scale Underwater Robotics Development for Underwater Archaeological Applications Paper presented at 2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Tampa, Florida. 10.18260/1-2--33271
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