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Olin College, in summer of 2017, provided hardware support to SSCI for their Whale Detection contract. The contract, which was in its Phase 1 stage, had the goal of detecting whales well in advance of container ships using a combination of radar and thermal imagery. As a proof of concept, Olin research students working for the robotics lab over the summer designed, constructed, and ran several experiments to determine the feasibility of the task and gather data for SSCI to further process.
- Professor David Barrett
- Research Engineer Christina Segar
- Research Engineer Connor Novak
- Research Engineer Carl Moser
- Research Engineer Robert Barlow
- Research Engineer Sophia Nielsen
Set up radar and thermal imagery overlooking a large field; periodically light a butane torch in the foreground, while driving a tractor in the background. The experiment is a success if the thermal imagery picks up both the torch and the tractor, but the radar only picks up the tractor. For more information, see the Experiment 1 page in the side bar.
Set up radar and thermal imagery overlooking a wide expanse of seawater on Buzzard's Bay, MA. Anchor the C Dragon (a semi-autonomous robotic craft with the capability to replicate whale blow) in the foreground and sail a small watercraft around in the background. The experiment is a success if the thermal imagery picks up both the C Dragon and the watercraft, but radar only picks up the watercraft. For more information, see the Experiment 2 page in the side bar.
Experiment 1, after two days and some technical difficulties, was a success. Experiment 2, after a failed attempt on Monday June 12th, was successful on Wednesday June 14th. Combined time-synchronized thermal imagery and radar clearly showing the difference between the C Dragon and the watercraft was sent to SSCI.
Carl Moser last edited on 06/28/17
Connor Novak last edited on 07/21/17