ASGUARD: Advanced Sea Going & Underwater Autonomous Research Device

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in support of the Marine and Hydrokinetic (MHK) industry, is seeking low-cost, user-friendly monitoring tools for in-field demonstration and subsequent commercialization. Shipboard monitoring is expensive, fixed monitoring sites and drifters are inflexible, and there are no affordable, easily deployable solutions to monitor above and below water. SubSeaSail® LLC (SSS) used DOE SBIR Phase I funding to establish a “Proof of Concept” by designing an affordable, long-duration vessel called ASGUARD that can autonomously provide near and far field monitoring on a 100% renewable energy vessel that can sail to locations, maintain position, submerge to listen/measure/monitor, return to the surface to monitor while re-charging batteries, transmit data, and remain at sea for extended periods. ASGUARD is designed to address these three environmental risks: 1. Collision risk: potential collisions of marine mammals and seabirds with in-water devices; 2. Noise: the effect of MHK-generated sound on marine mammals and other species; and 3. Electromagnetic Fields (EMF): MHK-generated EMF may negatively impact marine life behavior, hearing, health, hunting, and sense of direction. In the first 12 months of Phase II, SSS will develop a fully functional ASGUARD vessel with integrated solar/electrical system and sensors that can function down to 30 meters depth. The sensing capabilities will include an acoustic system and an Electromagnetic Field (EMF) sensor package that can measure electric and magnetic fields created around MHK installations as marine life may respond to either or both of the two elements of electromagnetic fields. In the second 12-month segment of Phase II, SSS will undertake long-duration (weeks to months), in-water field testing at PacWave—the primary U.S. MHK demo site—with subcontractor Oregon State University. This could include all three project stages: baseline study; monitoring of noise/EMF during install; and operational monitoring after install. In addition, during the second 12-month period, SSS will design a new, enhanced vessel with sensors that can withstand pressure to function down to 100 meters depth.