About the Project
Immediate Start
LAkHsMI: Large Scale Hydrodynamic Imaging in the Ocean From An Artificial Lateral Line
A three-year PhD by research position is available based in the Ocean Systems Laboratory at Heriot-Watt University and affiliated to the Edinburgh Centre for Robotics, starting as soon as possible as part of the LAKSHMI EU H2020 Blue Growth 09 programme 2015-2019.
PROJECT:
LAkHsMI will develop a new bio-inspired technology to make continuous and cost-effective measurements of the near-field, large-scale hydrodynamic situation for environmental monitoring in cabled ocean observatories, performance and damage detection in marine renewable energy and unwanted ingress in port/harbor security. The project will design, manufacture, and field test prototype smart sensor cables that measure differential pressure and temperature on the ocean floor, enabling high resolution imaging of the surrounding volume in space and time through simple, inexpensive, very low power transduction. The cables can be connecting with existing cabled ocean observatories. The technology is inspired by the biophysics of fish hydrodynamic sensing and is scalable from meters to possibly hundreds of kilometers with a high sampling frequency. Software interfaces developed in the course of the project will be integrated with existing observatory systems (such as EUROGOOS). Tests will be conducted in a tank, a pool, and in an ocean observatory. The project involves a consortium of engineers, computer scientists, oceanographers, environmentalists and companies, from Tallinn, Groningen, Aberdeen, Orkney and Edinburgh.
The PhD:
The PhD will research novel signal processing techniques for imaging hydrodymanic activities in the water column at a variety of resolutions and ranges. It will also research suitable embedded detection and classification approaches for significant or relevant hydrodynamic events using the array data. These are intended to produce useful information products for interdisciplinary oceanography and seismic geophysics, tracking fish and fish schools, (sub)surface traffic in harbours and marine renewable turbine performance.
Applications are sought from interested EU CITIZENS ONLY with MSc (Distinction) or 1st class honours degree (or equivalent) in electrical and electronic engineering, signal processing, applied mathematics or robotics, and with practical aptitudes/interests in field trials with sensors. Interests and skills in probabilistic methods, beamforming approaches and fluid dynamics would be an advantage. Some practical electrical engineering skills for data acquisition from the sensor array are also expected.
The position is of three years duration, starting as soon as possible, with all fees covered and an annual stipend of up to £15k.
Further reading:
Yingchen Yang et al, Distant touch hydrodynamic imaging with an artificial lateral line. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 Dec 12; 103(50): 18891– http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1748147/
Curcic-Blake B and Netten S M v 2006 Source localization encoding in the fish lateral line J. Exp. Biol. 209 1548–59
Institution:
The Edinburgh Centre for Robotics (ECR) is a £35M joint venture between Heriot-Watt University and the University of Edinburgh, supported by EPSRC, Industry and the Universities. It captures the expertise of over 30 principle investigators of international standing from 12 cross-disciplinary research groups and institutes across the Schools of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Informatics and the Department of Computer Science The Centre includes an EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Robotics and Autonomous Systems which trains innovation–ready postgraduates, and ROBOTARIUM, a £7.2M national capital equipment facility. This studentship will be affiliated with the Centre.
Annual Report: https://www.dropbox.com/s/7k1ro8y7xkue8oq/2015.10.12%20ECR%20Annual%20Review14-15%20%28final%29.pdf?dl=0
The Ocean Systems Laboratory at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh is a multidisciplinary science and engineering research centre that innovates, applies and teaches world class advances in autonomous systems, sensor modelling/processing, and underwater acoustic system theory/design for offshore, marine science, renewable energy and security applications. It has a world class reputation, spinning out companies of the calibre of http://www.seebyte.com http://www.codaoctopus.com and http://www.hydrason.com
Further information:
Contact: Professor David Lane FREng FRSE [Email Address Removed]
Edinburgh Centre for Robotics:
www.edinburgh-robotics.org
Ocean Systems Laboratory:
http://www.oceansystemslab-heriotwatt.com
https://www.youtube.com/user/oceanslabheriotwatt
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