Networked and Embedded Systems Laboratory

Tryear

Trmonth

Trnumber

Title

Abstract

Navigation, localization, and targeting while completely submerged in
the ocean are all extremely difficult due to the lack of a proficient
sensor. The highly conductive nature of salt-water results in severe
radio-wave attenuation precluding the use of RADAR. Naturally-
occurring noise sources, high energy costs, long-wavelengths, and
surface turbidity restrict the use of SONAR imaging to low-
resolutions, depths, and far fields. The ocean’s dark, turbulent, and
silty disposition impedes optical imaging.

Nature knows another better way. Apteronotus Albifrons is a
nocturnal oceanic fish that cannot rely upon optical
notions of vision to navigate, hunt, or avoid predators. Instead, it
relies upon an electroreceptive capability achieved through a dense
grid of electric field (Voltage) sensors arrayed along both sides of
the body and concentrated around the head. It emits an electric field
into the water and senses the self-induced forces down its sides.
Objects in the vicinity that differ in conductivity from the
background ocean environment disturb the field, redistribute the
current, and hence the spatial distribution of voltages measured by
the fish.

This dissertation chronicles the effort to produce an engineered
sensor which mirrors the biological phenomenon of electroreception and
demonstrate its ability to “visualize” targets with different
conductivities from the background ocean environment at very high
resolution by detecting perturbations in a quasi-static electric field
(electrostatics). This culminates in the first Biomimetic
Electrostatic Images (BEI) and demonstrates the potential of the technology to provide significant advances in underwater scientific enterprises, military applications, as well as in medicine.

Filename

File

Urlpdfpaper

Urlsrcpaper

Urlpdfpresentation

Urlsrcpresentation

Urlavmedia

Urldoi

Urlpublisher

Urlgooglescholar

Urlciteseer

Pubin

Pubvol

Pubnum

Pubnum end

Pubpagefirst

Pubpagelast

Pubpagecount

Pubdate

Pubdate end

Pubplace

Publisher

Ispublic

Islabdocument

Miscattributes

Document category

Main research area

Editing document