{"id":71704,"date":"2021-05-14T12:55:00","date_gmt":"2021-05-14T16:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?migration=converted-node-470999"},"modified":"2023-09-19T19:32:20","modified_gmt":"2023-09-19T23:32:20","slug":"robotic-navigation-tech-will-explore-the-deep-ocean","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/jpl\/robotic-navigation-tech-will-explore-the-deep-ocean\/","title":{"rendered":"Robotic Navigation Tech Will Explore the Deep Ocean"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-none \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/1_orpheus-deck-1041.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1041\" height=\"644\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/1_orpheus-deck-1041.jpg?w=1041\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"Orpheus submersible robot is being developed by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and JPL\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/1_orpheus-deck-1041.jpg 1041w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/1_orpheus-deck-1041.jpg?resize=300,186 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/1_orpheus-deck-1041.jpg?resize=768,475 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/1_orpheus-deck-1041.jpg?resize=1024,633 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/1_orpheus-deck-1041.jpg?resize=400,247 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/1_orpheus-deck-1041.jpg?resize=600,371 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/1_orpheus-deck-1041.jpg?resize=900,557 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1041px) 100vw, 1041px\" loading=\"eager\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">The Orpheus submersible robot is being developed by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and JPL to explore the deep ocean autonomously. Orpheus uses vision-based navigation that works in a similar way to how the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter navigates during flight.<\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">Credits: NASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p><em>Terrain-relative navigation helped Perseverance land \u2013 and Ingenuity fly \u2013 autonomously on Mars. Now it\u2019s time to test a similar system while exploring another frontier.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On May 14, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.noaa.gov\/\" rel=\"noopener\">NOAA<\/a>) ship Okeanos Explorer <a href=\"https:\/\/oceanexplorer.noaa.gov\/okeanos\/explorations\/ex2101\/welcome.html\" rel=\"noopener\">will depart<\/a> from Port Canaveral in Florida on a two-week expedition led by <a href=\"https:\/\/oceanexplorer.noaa.gov\/\" rel=\"noopener\">NOAA Ocean Exploration<\/a>, featuring the technology demonstration of an autonomous underwater vehicle. Called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whoi.edu\/what-we-do\/explore\/underwater-vehicles\/auvs\/orpheus\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Orpheus<\/a>, this new class of submersible robot will showcase a system that will help it find its way and identify interesting scientific features on the seafloor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Terrain-relative navigation was instrumental in helping NASA\u2019s Mars 2020 Perseverance Mars rover make its precision touch down on the Red Planet on Feb. 18. The system allowed the descending robot to visually map the Martian landscape, identify hazards, and then choose a safe place to land without human assistance. In a similar way, the agency\u2019s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter uses a vision-based navigation system to track surface features on the ground during flight in order to estimate its movements across the Martian surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Developed by engineers at NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, an evolution of the vision-based navigation that has been used on Mars will now undergo a trial run a little closer to home: off the U.S. East Coast in the Atlantic Ocean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Large, high-power location-finding equipment like sonar would normally be required to navigate the dark and often murky waters near the seabed. By utilizing a low-power system of cameras and lights, along with advanced software, Orpheus is an order of magnitude lighter than most deep-sea submersibles. Smaller than a quad bike and weighing about 550 pounds (250 kilograms), Orpheus is designed to be nimble, easy to operate, and rugged while exploring depths inaccessible to most vehicles.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-none \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/e_okeanos-1041.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1041\" height=\"694\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/e_okeanos-1041.jpg?w=1041\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"The Orpheus technology demonstration will be carried out aboard the NOAA ship Okeanos Explorer.\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/e_okeanos-1041.jpg 1041w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/e_okeanos-1041.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/e_okeanos-1041.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/e_okeanos-1041.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/e_okeanos-1041.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/e_okeanos-1041.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/e_okeanos-1041.jpg?resize=900,600 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1041px) 100vw, 1041px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">The Orpheus technology demonstration will be carried out aboard the NOAA ship Okeanos Explorer. After departing from Florida\u2019s Port Canaveral on May 14, the two-week expedition explores the waters off the U.S. East Coast.<\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">Credits: Art Howard\/NOAA Ocean Exploration<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Designed by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.whoi.edu\/\" rel=\"noopener\">WHOI<\/a>) in collaboration with JPL, Orpheus can work untethered almost anywhere in the ocean, including the most extreme depths. Ultimately, the project team hopes to see a swarm of these underwater robots work as a team to build 3D maps of the vast regions of unexplored ocean floor in the hadal zone \u2013 regions deeper than 20,000 feet (6,000 meters). But before the robot can explore these depths, it must first be put through its paces in shallower waters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Diving Into the Future<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis tech demo will be used to gather data to demonstrate the viability of terrain-relative navigation in the ocean while also showing how multiple robots will operate together in extreme environments,\u201d said Russell Smith, robotics mechanical engineer at JPL. \u201cThese tests will put us on track to start future dives into the hadal zone and intelligently seek out exciting regions of high biological activity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-none \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/2_orpheus-deploy-1041.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1041\" height=\"690\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/2_orpheus-deploy-1041.jpg?w=1041\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"The submersible can explore the most extreme depths of the ocean\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/2_orpheus-deploy-1041.jpg 1041w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/2_orpheus-deploy-1041.jpg?resize=300,199 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/2_orpheus-deploy-1041.jpg?resize=768,509 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/2_orpheus-deploy-1041.jpg?resize=1024,679 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/2_orpheus-deploy-1041.jpg?resize=400,265 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/2_orpheus-deploy-1041.jpg?resize=600,398 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/2_orpheus-deploy-1041.jpg?resize=900,597 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1041px) 100vw, 1041px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">The submersible can explore the most extreme depths of the ocean, creating 3D maps of the seafloor. Shown in this photo during a previous expedition, Orpheus is much smaller than other submersibles, making it easier to transport and operate.<\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">Credits: NASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Orpheus\u2019 version of vision-based navigation is called visual-inertial odometry, or xVIO, and it works by using a system of advanced cameras and pattern-matching software along with instruments that can precisely measure its orientation and motion. As Orpheus travels over the seafloor, xVIO identifies features \u2013 such as rocks, shells, and coral \u2013 below the vehicle. Like remembering landmarks during a road trip, xVIO will construct 3D maps using these features as waypoints to help it navigate. But this system is more than simply a means to prevent the submersible robot from getting lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The high-resolution maps xVIO creates are stored to memory so that when Orpheus returns to the area, it will recognize the unique distribution of the features and use them as a starting point to expand its exploration. And when working with robot buddies, maps can be shared, cross-referenced, and developed to quickly identify areas of scientific interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn the future, some of the most extreme ocean environments will be within our reach. From deep ocean trenches to hydrothermal vents, there are many new destinations we will explore,\u201d said Andy Klesh, a systems engineer also at JPL. \u201cBy staying small, we\u2019ve created a new, simplified tool for ocean scientists \u2013 one that directly benefits NASA as an analogue system for autonomous space exploration.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But Klesh noted another virtue of the collaboration between NASA and organizations like WHOI and NOAA, with their extensive oceanographic expertise: The technologies being developed to explore Earth\u2019s oceans with smart, small, and rugged autonomous underwater vehicles could ultimately be harnessed to explore the oceans on <em>other<\/em> worlds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Earth analogues are often used as environmental stand-ins for other locations in the solar system. For example, Jupiter\u2019s moon Europa possesses a subsurface ocean that could host conditions favorable to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAt hadal depths on Earth, the pressures are roughly equivalent to the bottom of Europa\u2019s subsurface ocean, thought to be maybe 80 kilometers [50 miles] deep,\u201d said Tim Shank, the biologist leading WHOI\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/hadex.whoi.edu\/\" rel=\"noopener\">HADEX<\/a> (Hadal Exploration) program. \u201cIt is a profound thing to think that this expedition could be the stepping stone to new discoveries about our own planet, including answering that most fundamental question: Is life unique to Earth, or are there other places beyond this pale blue dot where life could have arisen? But before we can explore Europa or any other ocean world, we have to better understand our own home first.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more information about the technology demonstration, see:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/oceanexplorer.noaa.gov\/okeanos\/explorations\/ex2102\/welcome.html\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/oceanexplorer.noaa.gov\/okeanos\/explorations\/ex2102\/welcome.html<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ian J. O\u2019Neill<br><\/strong> Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.<br> 818-354-2649<br> <a href=\"mailto:ian.j.oneill@jpl.nasa.gov\">ian.j.oneill@jpl.nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2021-105<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Terrain-relative navigation helped Perseverance land \u2013 and Ingenuity fly \u2013 autonomously on Mars. Now it\u2019s time to test a similar system while exploring another frontier. On May 14, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ship Okeanos Explorer will depart from Port Canaveral in Florida on a two-week expedition led by NOAA Ocean Exploration, featuring […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":75398,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nasa_hds_core_meta_l10n":"en-US","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_editor":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_contacts":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_topic":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_linked_locations":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_related_articles":[],"hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_id":"","hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_type":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_x":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_y":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_gallery_images":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[2860,3228,2834,2662,12211],"news-tags":[],"internal-terms":[8605,8612],"coauthors":[12651],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Robotic Navigation Tech Will Explore the Deep Ocean","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/jpl\/robotic-navigation-tech-will-explore-the-deep-ocean\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/jpl\/robotic-navigation-tech-will-explore-the-deep-ocean\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/1_orpheus-deck-1041.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/1_orpheus-deck-1041.jpg"},"articleSection":"NASA Centers & Facilities","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jet Propulsion Laboratory"}],"creator":["Jet Propulsion Laboratory"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"NASA","logo":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/themes\/nasa\/assets\/images\/nasa-logo.svg"},"keywords":["Earth","Water on Earth","Jet Propulsion Laboratory","Earth Science","Science & Research"],"dateCreated":"2021-05-14T16:55:00Z","datePublished":"2021-05-14T16:55:00Z","dateModified":"2023-09-19T23:32:20Z"},"rendered":"<meta name=\"parsely-title\" content=\"Robotic Navigation Tech Will Explore the Deep Ocean\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/jpl\/robotic-navigation-tech-will-explore-the-deep-ocean\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/1_orpheus-deck-1041.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2021-05-14T16:55:00Z\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"NASA Centers & Facilities\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"Earth,Water on Earth,Jet Propulsion Laboratory,Earth Science,Science & Research\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"Jet Propulsion Laboratory\" \/>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/nasa.gov\/p.js"},"read_time":5,"time_ago":"3 years","featured_image":{"id":75398,"file":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/1_orpheus-deck-1041.jpg","title":"1_orpheus-deck-1041","alt":"Orpheus submersible robot is being developed by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and JPL","caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71704"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/53"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71704"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71704\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":511888,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71704\/revisions\/511888"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/75398"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71704"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71704"},{"taxonomy":"news-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-tags?post=71704"},{"taxonomy":"internal-terms","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-terms?post=71704"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=71704"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}