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Advances in deep sea sampling with soft robotics

Vessel: R/V Falkor (FK191012), E/V Nautilus (NA122); Expedition Dates: Multiple to Multiple; Ports: Multiple to Multiple

Project Principals: Stephen Licht¹

Co-Project Principals: Brennan Phillips¹

PI Institution(s): ¹University of Rhode Island

Partnerships: None

Grant #: NA18OAR0110288; Award Period: September 01, 2018 - August 31, 2021

Advances in deep sea sampling with soft robotics Overview Map

Soft robots and compliant manipulators have been shown to dramatically simplify the problem of grasping complex objects without exerting undue force on the object or its surroundings. As a result, robots are increasingly being used for gentle and precise grasping tasks; however, many of the compliant mechanisms that have been developed for use in air are pressure intolerant, unsuited for use in water, or unable to withstand repeated deployment and recovery at sea. This project will advance soft robotic manipulator systems technology suitable for selective sample recovery from sensitive cultural and biological sites, a key area of ocean exploration science. This project will demonstrate (a) a novel hybrid soft robotic gripper and (b) a next-generation drive mechanism that will enable the precise control of seawater hydraulics for soft manipulation and that are inherently safe, reliable, and robust for deepwater deployment. Funding for this project was provided by NOAA Ocean Exploration via its Ocean Exploration Fiscal Year 2018 Funding Opportunity.

Project Datasets

Cruise of Opportunity (FK191012) Underway Datasets Open
Cruise of Opportunity (NA122) Underway Datasets Open
ROV video (NA122)
ROV Images (NA122) Open

Products

Gripper designs for 3D printing Open
Phillips, B.T.; Teoh, Z.E.; Becker, K.P.; Whittredge, G.; Weaver, J.; Hoberman, C.; Gruber, D.; Wood, R.J. The RAD Sampler: Rotary-actuated folding polyhedrons for midwater investigation of delicate marine organisms. AGU/ASLO Ocean Sciences Meeting, February 2020, oral presentation.

Additional Resources

Undersea Robotics and Imaging Laboratory (URIL) Website Open
Schmidt Website Page Open
Soft Robotics Toolkit Community Website Open
NOAA Ocean Exploration Project Website Open
NOAA Science Seminar Recording Open

Publications

Final Report Open
Yin, Alexander, "DESIGN, SIMULATION, AND RAPID PROTOTYPING OF SOFT ROBOTIC ACTUATORS FOR DEEP-SEA APPLICATIONS" (2024). Open Access Dissertations. Paper 1654. https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/oa_diss/1654 Open
Shomberg, Russell Joseph, "ADVANCES IN DEEP-SEA IMAGING AND SOFT ROBOTICS" (2023). Open Access Dissertations. Paper 1619. https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/oa_diss/1619 Open
C. E. Capalbo, D. Tomaino, F. Bruno, D. Rizzo, B. Phillips and S. Licht, "A Soft Robotic Gripper With Neutrally Buoyant Jamming Pads for Gentle Yet Secure Grasping of Underwater Objects," in IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering, vol. 47, no. 4, pp. 975-983, Oct. 2022, doi: 10.1109/JOE.2022.3156746 Open
DEEPi: A miniaturized, robust and economical camera and computer system for deep-sea exploration. Accepted October, 2019, DeepSea Research I. Open
Additive manufacturing aboard a moving vessel at sea using passively stabilized stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing. Accepted November, 2019, Additive Manufacturing. Open

Data Citation

Licht, Stephen and Phillips, Brennan (2025). Environmental data and products from NOAA Ocean Exploration Grant Award NA18OAR0110288: Advances in deep sea sampling with soft robotics. [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Project Datasets. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/waf/ocean-exploration-nofo/18softrobotics/18softrobotics_cruise_landing_page.html. Accessed [date].