Prolonged Deployments of PLOME Technologies: July 2024 Campaign at Obsea

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One of the main objectives of the PLOME project is to demonstrate that the technologies developed are capable of operating over long periods of time while performing monitoring tasks. Among the most complex challenges is the deployment of underwater vehicles that can autonomously remain on the seabed, carrying out monitoring operations (ICM-CSIC). To achieve this, it is crucial that these vehicles can recharge periodically, download the collected data, and have a safe space to perform these tasks, such as battery recharging, data transmission, and protection against potential risks, like underwater currents.
 
Before the execution of the campaign, it was necessary to mobilize and transport various equipment and personnel. From Girona, the Girona 1000 vehicle, along with its docking station and a support vessel, were transported to Vilanova. The docking station was installed and connected to the Obsea observatory, while the underwater video camera was mounted on the Lander.
 
One of the main objectives of the PLOME project is to demonstrate that the technologies developed are capable of operating over long periods of time while performing monitoring tasks. Among the most complex challenges is the deployment of underwater vehicles that can autonomously remain on the seabed, carrying out monitoring operations (ICM-CSIC). To achieve this, it is crucial that these vehicles can recharge periodically, download the collected data, and have a safe space to perform these tasks, such as battery recharging, data transmission, and protection against potential risks, like underwater currents.
 
Before the execution of the campaign, it was necessary to mobilize and transport various equipment and personnel. From Girona, the Girona 1000 vehicle, along with its docking station and a support vessel, were transported to Vilanova. The docking station was installed and connected to the Obsea observatory, while the underwater video camera was mounted on the Lander.
 
In July 2024, the PLOME project members gathered in Vilanova i la Geltrú to carry out a campaign aimed at demonstrating the feasibility of these objectives. The Obsea underwater observatory (UPC) was the chosen environment to connect the docking station, where the Girona 1000 underwater vehicle, developed by the University of Girona and Iqua Robotics, would carry out recharging and data transmission tasks. The experiment also included the deployment of a Lander (UPC), a fixed monitoring device that integrates various sensors and cameras, including one developed by the University of the Balearic Islands.
 
The main tasks assigned to the various devices were as follows: the Lander, as a fixed monitoring system, had to acquire and record data from the installed sensors and video cameras. Additionally, this device incorporated acoustic technology to help the underwater vehicle locate its position on the seabed. The underwater vehicle, on the other hand, was tasked with performing monitoring, locating and approaching both the Lander and the docking station, establishing communication with both (UPM), and finally executing the complex docking maneuver (UdG).
 

The campaign was monitored in real-time thanks to the acoustic communication of the underwater devices with a surface buoy (UPM, UPC), which acted as a proxy between the seabed and the internet network. Throughout the 10 days of the campaign, weather conditions were not entirely favorable, with unusually strong currents reaching up to 0.5 m/s, making the underwater vehicle’s navigation maneuvers more challenging. During the days with stronger currents, experiments focused on navigation and communication with the fixed stations. Once the currents subsided, it was possible to successfully execute all the experiments, ensuring the underwater vehicle completed docking, recharging, and data transmission tasks with the fixed submarine station. This station provides power and bandwidth as part of the objective of a cabled underwater observatory, such as Obsea.

Plome Project Team.

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