Polaris Under Ice – Barrow, Alaska

LRAUV Development : Under-Ice Mapping of Oil Spills and Environmental Hazards

       In July 2022, Scibotics Lab ventured out to Barrow, Alaska where Polaris successfully completed its first high-latitude test. This allowed for the advancement of USCG RDC AUV capabilities and will help prepare for more dynamic missions in the future. This capability was developed to allow for rapid response to oil spills in Arctic environments, while providing situational awareness and damage mitigation for first responders and USCG.

       An Arctic buoys was also deployed along with the vehicle. These buoys enable the vehicle to communicate oil detections, and other data if desired, acoustically and link back to shore and command control. The buoy is also used for a means of docking and undocking by the LRAUV, which this mission allowed to be exercised.