SUBJECT: | Ph.D. Proposal Presentation |
BY: | Angelica Connor |
TIME: | Thursday, June 4, 2020, 12:00 p.m. |
PLACE: | https://bluejeans.com/502512136, N/A |
TITLE: | Free swimming multi-limb aquatic locomotion at intermediate Reynolds number |
COMMITTEE: | Dr. Devesh Ranjan, Co-Chair (ME) Dr. Donald Webster, Co-Chair (CEE) Dr. Paul Neitzel (ME) Dr. Brandon Dixon (ME) Dr. Arvind Santhanakrishnan (Oklahoma State) |
SUMMARY
Although it is estimated that 94% of all animals are aquatic species and the bottom depths of the oceans contain the most unique topography on the planet, there is limited information on the global ocean circulation patterns and ecosystems. Currently, to gather more information about the deep depths of the oceans, scientists often use underwater and surface human-operated or autonomous vehicles. However, many of these vessels only have one propulsion system and have rudimentary maneuverability capabilities. Moreover, if this propulsion system fails, many of these vessels have a risk of being nonrecoverable or are expensive to recover. As a result, ocean researchers are looking, instead, to deploy small “swarms” of less expensive autonomous vehicles, similar to a school of fish, in order to survey larger portions of these vast bodies of water with less probability of failure. |