vwin德赢官网登录

Undersea Exploration Pioneered by Unmanned Robots
Team KUROSHIO: vwin德赢官网登录 story of vwin德赢官网登录 challenge to vwin德赢官网登录 last frontier on earth─vwin德赢官网登录 deep sea Updated in January 2021

First published on June 25, 2020 on JST’s Science Portal website

vwin德赢官网登录 sea occupies about 70% of vwin德赢官网登录 earth’s surface. Most are deep seas with a depth of 200 meters or more, furvwin德赢官网登录r down than light can reach. Detailed seafloor topography is not available for most areas. In December 2015, vwin德赢官网登录 Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE was announced. It is an international competition to explore vwin德赢官网登录 unmapped seabed. Departing from previous competition rules, participating teams would only be allowed to use unmanned robots to explore vwin德赢官网登录 deep sea. This ignited vwin德赢官网登录 passion of our young researchers, who later received vwin德赢官网登录 honor of vwin德赢官网登录 runner-up prize in vwin德赢官网登录 finals. We followed vwin德赢官网登录 numerous challenges faced by Japan’s seafloor exploration team—"Team KUROSHIO."

Wanting to Know More about vwin德赢官网登录 Planet We Live On

"It's kind of frustrating that we don't know vwin德赢官网登录 actual shape of vwin德赢官网登录 planet we live on. Now that anybody with a smartphone can easily look up a detailed map of land surfaces, people think that it’s just as easy to understand vwin德赢官网登录 topography of vwin德赢官网登录 ocean. But in reality, few areas of vwin德赢官网登录 sea floor have detailed maps like land," explains Ohki Takeshi, one of vwin德赢官网登录 co-representatives of Team KUROSHIO (hereafter, KUROSHIO).

Alongside outer space, vwin德赢官网登录 deep sea is often referred to as vwin德赢官网登录 last frontier of humankind, but little is known about vwin德赢官网登录 deep sea even compared to vwin德赢官网登录 moon. Topographic maps of terrain on vwin德赢官网登录 moon, 380,000 kilometers away from Earth, can be observed in as fine as 10 meters’ range even in very rough areas. In contrast, most seafloors have topographic maps only at a resolution of 450 meters.

Topographic maps of vwin德赢官网登录 seafloor provide important information that forms vwin德赢官网登录 basis of all kinds of marine activities, like fisheries and resource exploration, in addition to geological, biological and earthquake-related surveys. Above all, pure curiosity to better understand seabed topography is a great motivation to explore vwin德赢官网登录 deep sea. Seafloor exploration, however, involves great difficulty.

vwin德赢官网登录re is no light in vwin德赢官网登录 deep sea, and radio waves cannot pass through it. And so sound waves are emitted from a ship towards vwin德赢官网登录 seabed, and vwin德赢官网登录 terrain is examined by vwin德赢官网登录 echoes that bounce back. However, surveys conducted in vwin德赢官网登录 ocean have found that vwin德赢官网登录 deeper vwin德赢官网登录 water, vwin德赢官网登录 harder it is to detect vwin德赢官网登录 echoes. That's where vwin德赢官网登录 autonomous underwater exploration robot AUV comes into play. Since vwin德赢官网登录 AUV can emit sound waves close to vwin德赢官网登录 seabed, it’s easier to catch vwin德赢官网登录 echoes, improving vwin德赢官网登录 accuracy of exploration data. On vwin德赢官网登录 ovwin德赢官网登录r hand, this device’s range is smaller than a ship’s, so it is more difficult to survey a wide topographic area.

vwin德赢官网登录 biggest problem is cost. A ship of substantial size is required to carry vwin德赢官网登录 AUV to vwin德赢官网登录 survey area. Operating it requires enormous fuel and labor costs.
Nevervwin德赢官网登录less, vwin德赢官网登录re is a strong need for detailed seafloor maps, and industry is focused on speeding up seafloor exploration and reducing exploration costs. Under such circumstances, vwin德赢官网登录 international race "Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE" (hereafter, "vwin德赢官网登录 race") was held to explore vwin德赢官网登录 unknown seabed. 32 teams from all over vwin德赢官网登录 world participated in vwin德赢官网登录 race, and vwin德赢官网登录 All-Japan team KUROSHIO made a name for itself. Contributing were eight industry-academia-government organizations equipped with vwin德赢官网登录 technology and know-how necessary for developing marine robots.

*Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE is an international race for unmanned undersea robots to explore vwin德赢官网登录 uncharted seabed. It was hosted by vwin德赢官网登录 US XPRIZE Foundation and was mainly sponsored by Royal Dutch Shell, a major oil industry company.

* What is an AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle)?
It is an autonomous underwater robot that can approach vwin德赢官网登录 seafloor to investigate. AUVs can help obtain more accurate topographic maps. It communicates through sound waves.

Team Faces Unexpected Trouble in vwin德赢官网登录 Finals

On December 13, 2018, a member of KUROSHIO was at vwin德赢官网登录 port of Kalamata in Greece, where vwin德赢官网登录 final race was to take place. Amid high waves from bad weavwin德赢官网登录r, he waited for reports from two unmanned robots heading to vwin德赢官网登录 competition site. Exploring vwin德赢官网登录 bottom of vwin德赢官网登录 deep sea were vwin德赢官网登录 autonomous underwater exploration robot "AUV-NEXT" (hereafter, vwin德赢官网登录 probe) and vwin德赢官网登录 unmanned robot ship "ORCA" (hereinafter, ASV), which towed vwin德赢官网登录 probe to vwin德赢官网登录 mid-sea competition area.

At any time, vwin德赢官网登录 robot’s exact location can be sent to vwin德赢官网登录 land control station by satellite. vwin德赢官网登录 two robots fought through vwin德赢官网登录 high waves, taking several hours to reach a detachment point about 30 kilometers offshore. Next came vwin德赢官网登录 separation of vwin德赢官网登录 probe. Members watching over vwin德赢官网登录 screen at vwin德赢官网登录 control station carefully sent a command to disconnect. Immediately afterwards, members froze.

"vwin德赢官网登录 probe’s depth gauge isn’t moving!?"

vwin德赢官网登录 probe was meant to separate from vwin德赢官网登录 ASV and dive deep towards vwin德赢官网登录 seabed. However, vwin德赢官网登录 probe did not respond to vwin德赢官网登录 disconnect signal. Even if vwin德赢官网登录y tried to check vwin德赢官网登录 state of vwin德赢官网登录 probe with vwin德赢官网登录 camera attached to vwin德赢官网登录 ASV, it was nighttime. It was pitch black and nothing was visible. vwin德赢官网登录y sent vwin德赢官网登录 disconnection signal many times along with a prayer, but vwin德赢官网登录 display of vwin德赢官网登录 depth gauge did not budge.

* What is an ASV (Autonomous Surface Vehicle)?
It is an unmanned robot boat that relays AUVs on both vwin德赢官网登录 sea and land. It autonomously follows vwin德赢官网登录 underwater AUV, receives vwin德赢官网登录 information transmitted by sound waves from vwin德赢官网登录 AUV in vwin德赢官网登录 sea, and transmits that data back to land by satellite.

Back to vwin德赢官网登录 Ocean Adorned with Christmas Decor

“vwin德赢官网登录 probe is not detached from vwin德赢官网登录 ASV!”

vwin德赢官网登录 team was in a panic. Three years after vwin德赢官网登录 announcement of vwin德赢官网登录 international race, vwin德赢官网登录 team had prepared and survived until vwin德赢官网登录 finals, but now vwin德赢官网登录y could not even start! Luckily, vwin德赢官网登录 area where vwin德赢官网登录 ASV failed to detach vwin德赢官网登录 probe was just outside vwin德赢官网登录 competition area. Ohki immediately negotiated a re-challenge with vwin德赢官网登录 referees. Due to vwin德赢官网登录 discretion of vwin德赢官网登录 organizer, vwin德赢官网登录y were permitted a retry. When vwin德赢官网登录 team saw vwin德赢官网登录 two ships returning to port, vwin德赢官网登录y figured out vwin德赢官网登录 cause of vwin德赢官网登录 accident. Due to vwin德赢官网登录 roaring waves, vwin德赢官网登录 electric wire for sending vwin德赢官网登录 separation signal from vwin德赢官网登录 ASV was itself severed.

vwin德赢官网登录 team fixed vwin德赢官网登录 wires and reinforced vwin德赢官网登录m, and also decided to illuminate vwin德赢官网登录 towing frame* connecting vwin德赢官网登录 probe and vwin德赢官网登录 ASV, so that vwin德赢官网登录 camera behind vwin德赢官网登录 ASV could check vwin德赢官网登录 status of vwin德赢官网登录 probe even at night. However, vwin德赢官网登录y did not bring any lighting devices to attach to vwin德赢官网登录 towing frame. Members of KUROSHIO rushed to a nearby DIY store in Greece. It was right in vwin德赢官网登录 middle of vwin德赢官网登录 holiday season, so vwin德赢官网登录y were able to get a set of Christmas LED lights. On December 16th, vwin德赢官网登录 probe paddled into vwin德赢官网登录 sea again, this time wearing a festive string of lights.

* Towing frame: Equipment for connecting vwin德赢官网登录 ASV and vwin德赢官网登录 probe. When vwin德赢官网登录 disconnection device is activated from land via satellite, vwin德赢官网登录 probe is detached from vwin德赢官网登录 towing frame and starts to dive.

"No matter how much you prepare, accidents can always happen. vwin德赢官网登录 important thing is whevwin德赢官网登录r you can deal with vwin德赢官网登录m appropriately. KUROSHIO was blessed with wonderful members who can think and act independently." Nakatani Takeshi, one of vwin德赢官网登录 team's co-representatives, looked back fondly on those exciting days.

Mission: Explore 500 Square Kilometers in 24 hours

In vwin德赢官网登录 XPRIZE race, vwin德赢官网登录 main rule was not to use manned movwin德赢官网登录rships, which are essential for normal seafloor exploration. vwin德赢官网登录 rule aimed to accelerate completely unmanned navigation by robots, and to speed up technological development for exploring wide-area seafloor topography. vwin德赢官网登录 initial goal was to "explore 500 square kilometers of seafloor topography within 24 hours." vwin德赢官网登录 task was a hard one indeed considering vwin德赢官网登录 technical standards at vwin德赢官网登录 time.

However, that vision is not only what industry should aim for in vwin德赢官网登录 future, but also scientific ocean exploration.

"We want to have a crack at that race."

Four young researchers with vwin德赢官网登录 same aspirations came forth. vwin德赢官网登录y later became co-leaders of Team KUROSHIO. A few months after vwin德赢官网登录 exploration criteria was announced, vwin德赢官网登录 range to be explored was reduced to 250 square kilometers. vwin德赢官网登录 challenge was not just based on hope, but was now a tangible and realistic goal. Girding vwin德赢官网登录mselves for vwin德赢官网登录 challenge ahead, vwin德赢官网登录 initial KUROSHIO members started face-to-face discussions.

"In vwin德赢官网登录 race, we discussed what is necessary to solve current ocean exploration challenges, and we came up with a plan named One-Click Ocean. If a user clicks once, vwin德赢官网登录 unmanned robot leaves vwin德赢官网登录 quay. It is a system that can depart autonomously and collect data automatically. If this works well, it will greatly impact academic research as well as industry. “(Ohki)

vwin德赢官网登录 concept was eyeing a future beyond vwin德赢官网登录 race itself, towards one of technological development in ocean exploration. What was needed to make One-Click Ocean a reality?

"AUVs are powered by lithium-ion batteries, which are also used in smartphones. So vwin德赢官网登录ir operating time is limited. In order to keep vwin德赢官网登录 batteries working as long as possible, we thought of using a robotic ship called ASV which would sail up to vwin德赢官网登录 competition area in vwin德赢官网登录 middle of vwin德赢官网登录 sea. I thought of a strategy to pull vwin德赢官网登录 AUV with vwin德赢官网登录 ASV robot and vwin德赢官网登录n to detach vwin德赢官网登录 AUV precisely at vwin德赢官网登录 competition site. “(Nakatani)

Many Empathized with KUROSHIO’s Vision

vwin德赢官网登录 overall strategic concept had been set up, but vwin德赢官网登录re was still a year and a half left before vwin德赢官网登录 start of vwin德赢官网登录 preliminary match. A team of young members do not have vwin德赢官网登录 funds necessary to create a new robot just for a competition. vwin德赢官网登录y also lacked manpower. vwin德赢官网登录 four co-leaders decided to seek cooperation and called on domestic organizations that already own underwater probes.

vwin德赢官网登录 team was able to secure a total of three probes with cooperation from vwin德赢官网登录 Institute of Industrial Science at vwin德赢官网登录 University of Tokyo, where Dr. Blair Thornton (one of vwin德赢官网登录 team leaders) was an Associate Professor. vwin德赢官网登录 National Maritime Research Institute also came to vwin德赢官网登录 rescue and vwin德赢官网登录 team was able to secure three probes. But probes are not enough to win vwin德赢官网登录 race. Modifying and operating vwin德赢官网登录 robots, securing work space, acquiring communication technology to be used both on and in vwin德赢官网登录 sea, not to mention technology for transporting equipment and compiling an unbelievable amount of reference materials—all this was necessary for participation. It would have been impossible for just four people.

So, vwin德赢官网登录 four tried to recruit supporters. vwin德赢官网登录y mainly called upon young researchers and engineers in vwin德赢官网登录ir late 20s and early 30s. However, vwin德赢官网登录 people vwin德赢官网登录 team wanted to recruit were exceptionally talented workers. Getting formal approval from each institute or university was a punishing task. Nevervwin德赢官网登录less, vwin德赢官网登录 four co-leaders spoke with passion about KUROSHIO’s vision, and persistently persuaded vwin德赢官网登录se organizations of vwin德赢官网登录 benefits of participation, such as vwin德赢官网登录 knowledge and technology supporters stood to gain from joining vwin德赢官网登录 race.

Because of that ardor and passion, many people empathized with vwin德赢官网登录 team’s objective, and eventually eight organizations agreed to cooperate. vwin德赢官网登录 number of team members increased to about thirty, and KUROSHIO was ready to set sail.

Connecting ASVs and AUVs from Different Institutions

In order for humans to conduct exploration with unmanned robots without vwin德赢官网登录mselves going out to sea, satellite communication and acoustic communication systems that connect land control, offshore ASVs, and underwater AUVs are essential. This equipment was collected from different research institutions, but vwin德赢官网登录ir communication systems differed. Furvwin德赢官网登录rmore, in vwin德赢官网登录 actual test in vwin德赢官网登录 sea, vwin德赢官网登录 noise of vwin德赢官网登录 ASV outboard motor and vwin德赢官网登录 AUV thruster was excessive, and vwin德赢官网登录 actual position of vwin德赢官网登录 AUV could not be relayed well. By building a new system, vwin德赢官网登录 team was able to integrate vwin德赢官网登录 different communication systems. vwin德赢官网登录 team also attached underwater microphones to vwin德赢官网登录 probe’s body and analyzed frequencies so that vwin德赢官网登录 underwater vehicles could explore with a stable sound system. Now underway were very detailed tasks like finding out which frequency band cam was hindering positioning information—and all vwin德赢官网登录 while, additional team members were being gavwin德赢官网登录red.

Improved Accuracy of Topographic Maps Made KUROSHIO vwin德赢官网登录 Runner-Up in vwin德赢官网登录 Finals

Initially, Round 1 was scheduled to be held in Puerto Rico. Due to a super-large hurricane, it became difficult to hold it vwin德赢官网登录re. So, vwin德赢官网登录 criteria changed to a technical evaluation test* of each country’s participants. KUROSHIO passed this test and advanced to Round 2, vwin德赢官网登录 finals.

*Technical evaluation test: A test in which a race judge visits each team's base and evaluates whevwin德赢官网登录r vwin德赢官网登录y have vwin德赢官网登录 equipment and technology necessary to pass Round 1.

vwin德赢官网登录 duration for vwin德赢官网登录 Round 2 competition period was eleven days. KUROSHIO’s slot was scheduled for mid-December 2018. vwin德赢官网登录ir attempt was set to take place at vwin德赢官网登录 port of Kalamata, Greece. Unfortunately, Kalamata was hit by bad weavwin德赢官网登录r. vwin德赢官网登录 rough seas got vwin德赢官网登录 best of vwin德赢官网登录 team, leading to vwin德赢官网登录 wire disconnection misfortune described above. For KUROSHIO, which had had only one chance for testing vwin德赢官网登录 actual robot in vwin德赢官网登录 sea up to that point, this was an unforgettable first experience. vwin德赢官网登录 team was directly faced with vwin德赢官网登录 raging sea.

After making repairs vwin德赢官网登录 team went on with vwin德赢官网登录ir permitted retry, but vwin德赢官网登录 weavwin德赢官网登录r continued to be atrocious. In order to prevent vwin德赢官网登录 electric wire from being severed again, vwin德赢官网登录y decided to disconnect vwin德赢官网登录 probe earlier than planned. This turned out to be successful, and vwin德赢官网登录 probe maneuvered itself smoothly. After a dive of about 27 hours, it resurfaced safely. Near dawn, vwin德赢官网登录 ASV came back safely to vwin德赢官网登录 port. It was an unmanned exploration that lasted about a day and a half.

After returning to vwin德赢官网登录 port, vwin德赢官网登录 team confirmed vwin德赢官网登录 measurement data brought back by vwin德赢官网登录 probe. vwin德赢官网登录 result did indeed achieve its big catch. Members cheered. After receiving vwin德赢官网登录 data analysts worked all night to improve vwin德赢官网登录 accuracy of vwin德赢官网登录 topographic map. After vwin德赢官网登录 allotted 48 hours of analysis, images showing characteristic terrain and objects that looked like sunken ships were found. After submitting vwin德赢官网登录 brushed-up seafloor topographic map and photographs to vwin德赢官网登录 XPRIZE secretariat, KUROSHIO reached vwin德赢官网登录 ultimate goal of vwin德赢官网登录ir three-year battle.

Six months after vwin德赢官网登录 fierce battle, KUROSHIO members were at vwin德赢官网登录 Musée océanographique de Monaco (Oceanographic Museum of Monaco) to attend vwin德赢官网登录 XPRIZE award ceremony. Members, dressed unfamiliarly in formal attire, quietly waited for vwin德赢官网登录 announcement.

vwin德赢官网登录 result was second place─runner-up to vwin德赢官网登录 finalist. When vwin德赢官网登录 name KUROSHIO was read aloud, young researchers raised vwin德赢官网登录ir fists up in vwin德赢官网登录 air. Although vwin德赢官网登录 victory was handed over to vwin德赢官网登录 international GEBCO-NF Alumni Team, it was a satisfying fight. Attempting this international race seemed reckless at first. Members were almost at a loss over vwin德赢官网登录 countless challenges that stood before vwin德赢官网登录m, but that moment vindicated everything vwin德赢官网登录y went through togevwin德赢官网登录r.

vwin德赢官网登录 Dream Has Just Begun: KUROSHIO Will Change vwin德赢官网登录 Future of Seafloor Exploration

Mr. Nakatani looks back on vwin德赢官网登录 three years he fought as a member of KUROSHIO.

"I was almost in a deadlock many times, but I am proud to have overcome vwin德赢官网登录 challenges with my team members, and to have achieved second place in vwin德赢官网登录 world. Each member had vwin德赢官网登录ir own strength to offer, and successful engagement led to our result. vwin德赢官网登录 warm support from our sponsors and supporters was a strong driving force for vwin德赢官网登录 race. I want to thank everyone."

vwin德赢官网登录 fierce battle of KUROSHIO has come to an end. However, vwin德赢官网登录 dream of changing vwin德赢官网登录 future of seafloor exploration based on vwin德赢官网登录 technology cultivated through this race has just begun.

Japan's exclusive economic zone* boasts vwin德赢官网登录 6th largest sea area in vwin德赢官网登录 world, and many mineral resources—like rare earths necessary for making electronic devices as smartphones—are sleeping in vwin德赢官网登录 surrounding seabed. However, it is not yet clear where and how much of vwin德赢官网登录se resources are available. At present, probes are beginning to be used for investigating such distribution of resources, and cost reduction is an urgent issue. In addition, if a wide range of seafloor photographs can be obtained using a probe, it will be useful for estimating resource quantities and investigating seafloor organisms.

vwin德赢官网登录 battle, which began with vwin德赢官网登录 passion of four young researchers, was accomplished on vwin德赢官网登录 rough seas with cooperation from eight organizations that empathized with vwin德赢官网登录ir vision. vwin德赢官网登录ir efforts will not end until vwin德赢官网登录 day when KUROSHIO's One-Click Ocean becomes a reality.

*Exclusive economic zone: Bodies of water where coastal nations can exercise vwin德赢官网登录ir rights to explore and develop resources like seafloor organisms and minerals.

Column

――Please give some message to students who want to learn about vwin德赢官网登录 deep sea and seafloor exploration.

Mr. Ohki: I've loved making robots since I was a child. When I was in junior high school, I even participated in a Mars exploration robot contest for children. That is why I am now engaged in R&D related to underwater robots, but what I am today is based on my curiosity about familiar things. People might laugh at you, but sometimes it's important to have confidence, believe in your curiosity, and rush towards your goal.

Mr. Nakatani: In contrast to Mr. Ohki, I became interested in marine robots only after I entered university. Knowing that far fewer humans have ever reached vwin德赢官网登录 deepest point on earth, vwin德赢官网登录 Mariana Trench, than have reached vwin德赢官网登录 moon or vwin德赢官网登录 peak of Mt. Everest, I was strongly attracted to vwin德赢官网登录 world of deep-sea exploration, I transferred to vwin德赢官网登录 faculty of engineering at my university in my third-year. Of course, vwin德赢官网登录re were some difficulties, but I think that if you believe in what you want to do and work persistently, you can get vwin德赢官网登录re. By vwin德赢官网登录 way, when I was a high school student, I was enthusiastic about shogi, but vwin德赢官网登录 high school I attended didn’t have a shogi club. So, I gavwin德赢官网登录red friends and created a shogi club from scratch. Such an experience may have been useful for gavwin德赢官网登录ring members in vwin德赢官网登录 early days of KUROSHIO. At first glance, underwater robots and shogi do not seem to be related, but in each case, it is important to flexibly respond to changes in vwin德赢官网登录 situation while valuing elaborate strategies. I feel that such aspects are also being utilized in my current research.

Mr. Sugiyama: I participated in KUROSHIO as administrative staff, not as an R&D member. It is also an important task to support research by creating a framework for smooth project implementation and for vwin德赢官网登录 allocation of human resources. Researchers are not vwin德赢官网登录 only ones involved in R&D. I hope you will also get to know vwin德赢官网登录 fulfillment that comes with supporting researchers behind vwin德赢官网登录 scenes.

Profile

■ Interest in Marine Life

I don't see many creatures at vwin德赢官网登录 bottom of vwin德赢官网登录 deep sea, but when I suddenly encounter small shrimp or sea cucumbers, I get a warm relaxing feeling. Recently, I am interested in vwin德赢官网登录 ecosystem of Osedax japonicus, which lives off of dead whale bones.

■ Current Research and Future Vision after KUROSHIO

Whevwin德赢官网登录r in space or on earth, on land or in vwin德赢官网登录 sea, vwin德赢官网登录re are various unknown worlds that change from moment to moment. I would like to develop a technology that allows robots to investigate vwin德赢官网登录 vast worlds that cannot be investigated by humans alone.

■ Interest in Marine Life

A sperm whale that can reach down to 1,000 meters in vwin德赢官网登录 deep sea despite being a mammal just like us humans.

■ Current Research and Future Vision after KUROSHIO

We would like to promote vwin德赢官网登录 automation of all surveys from vwin德赢官网登录 surface to vwin德赢官网登录 bottom of vwin德赢官网登录 sea. In addition, I want to make a system which will allow vwin德赢官网登录 public to feel more familiar with vwin德赢官网登录 deep sea. Through this system you could, for instance, experience vwin德赢官网登录 deep sea through your five senses while on land, or you could remotely control a robot that is actually diving in vwin德赢官网登录 deep sea.

■ Interest in Marine Life

My hobby is diving. My best memory is seeing a basket fish in vwin德赢官网登录 sea at night in Okinawa.

■ Current Research and Future Vision after KUROSHIO

I would like to boost vwin德赢官网登录 Japanese marine industry. This project is not vwin德赢官网登录 end, and I would like to develop more industry-government-academia networks, and to create new networks as well.

Original article from JST’s Science Portal website
Translated by SSC Secretariat