Welcome, one and all!
Description
One of the core tenets of our project is to understand and build an aquatic observational device that could observe aquatic life whilst it is floating and traversing the surface. The project and machine would also be remotely controlled, via a WiFi connection, which allows the operator to control and maneuver the machine from anywhere in the world*. This was conceptualized, from its design to its functionalities, with the primary aim of aiding marine life researchers in their research, as their research are usually done with an intense amount of fieldwork.
As such, if parts of their marine research could be automated and remotely operated, it would greatly benefit the marine science research community, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, which greatly accelerated any existing digitizing or remote capabilities.
*with an Internet connection
Gallery 1: A collection of photographs of marine science researchers. [1] [2]
The project, is thus a buoyant observational machine that is well suited to observe marine ecosystems – by the use of cameras placed on the machine, facing downwards as well as forwards, with an Infrared (IR) capability in light of murky water conditions. The machine is also powered sustainably, by the use of Solar Panels.
Furthermore, to enhance convenience in deployment and transportation, the machine is also designed with a modular function in mind – the craft could be quickly dismantled and assembled with minimal steps. This modularity also opens the door to customisation – users could add on or replace any modules of the craft to suit their needs, as long as the same connection points are used – which connect the different modules together. For more information, please refer to the “Hardware” section of our blog, where we chronicled our progress and design considerations in detail.
Gallery 2: An illustration of the design and modularity of our machine, snapshots of our brainstorming sessions, as well as an illustration of a camera module which we took inspiration from [3]
The software of the project have also been designed with ease of usage and convenience in mind. The web application that was developed from scratch for the purpose of this project has went through many iterations and numerous changes and tweaks to improve the overall user experience – the intent was to make the interface as intuitive and as straightforward as possible – while maintaining a reasonable degree of aesthetic beauty. Upon advice of our mentors in the lab, we took inspiration from existing user interfaces (UIs) of current controls – from boats, to car games, to even UAVs. We were inspired by the creativity of their designs, and they laid the groundwork for our eventual design. For more information, please refer to the “Software” section of our blog, whereby we chronicle our journey from ground zero, as none of our group members have experience in Web Development! (there are also lumps of code for those interested to sieve through)
In particular, there was also a strong requirement for our web application/server to be “portable” – in the sense that it can be accessed by different users in different networks, and we have to find a way to “release” our application from our local host (the Pi/craft itself) to the wider Internet. This is in line with the core tenets of our project – portability, accessibility, convenience.
Gallery 3: A glimpse into the world of Web Development – primarily facilitated by the use of 3 languages: HTML, for structure; CSS, for aesthetics; and JavaScript, for interactivity
Phew! That was a lot! From total web dev beginners with no experience with anything mentioned above until a few months back, this was definitely a fruitful journey!
Now, what’s left is putting it all together, into one cohesive piece, while preparing the necessary elements for the final presentation! At this critical juncture, time is of the essence, as school is starting, our project’s final presentation is in 2 weeks, and everything is drawing to a close.
Thanks for Reading! 🙂
References
[1] https://www.environmentalscience.org/career/marine-biologist
[2] https://www.udel.edu/academics/colleges/ceoe/community/summer-opportunities/marine-sciences-summer-program/
[3] https://fineartamerica.com/shop/posters/video+surveillance