An Autonomous Probing System for Collecting Measurements at Depth from Small Surface Vehicles

TL;DR

This paper introduces a low-cost, portable autonomous probing system (APS) for collecting water quality measurements at specific depths from surface vehicles, enabling efficient near-surface water column sampling without expensive underwater equipment.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel, open-source autonomous probing system designed for depth-specific water sampling from surface vehicles, filling a gap in marine sampling technology.

Findings

Successfully demonstrated in field deployment

Provides a cost-effective alternative to underwater sampling equipment

Includes open-source simulator and control components

Abstract

This paper presents the portable autonomous probing system (APS), a low-cost robotic design for collecting water quality measurements at targeted depths from an autonomous surface vehicle (ASV). This system fills an important but often overlooked niche in marine sampling by enabling mobile sensor observations throughout the near-surface water column without the need for advanced underwater equipment. We present a probe delivery mechanism built with commercially available components and describe the corresponding open-source simulator and winch controller. Finally, we demonstrate the system in a field deployment and discuss design trade-offs and areas for future improvement. Project details are available on https://johannah.github.io/publication/sample-at-depth our website