Lake Superior State University (LSSU) students are charting new territory in natural resources and engineering with their recent Autonomous Maritime System (AMS) project, aimed at automating water quality monitoring. This project was made possible by funding from the LSSU Foundation, the Undergraduate Research Grant, and the School of Engineering and Technology, and it shows how technology can improve the accuracy, efficiency, and accessibility of freshwater research.
Left to right: Zachary Kassuba, Chase Jannetta, Michael Goldenbogen, Collin Pajot, Ryan Houck, Nikolas Curlett, and Dr. Edoardo Sarda
The project team, named Autonomous Maritime Operations and Robotics Engineering 3.0 (AMORE 3.0), involved a group of six undergraduate students: Michael Goldenbogen (Computer Engineering), Ryan Houck (Robotics Engineering), Collin Pajot (Mechatronics), Nicolas Curlett (Electrical Engineering), Chase Jannetta (Mechanical and Robotics Engineering), and Zach Kassuba (Conservation Biology). It centered around deploying a robotic boat capable of conducting water quality tests autonomously, attempting to eliminate the potential for human error and reduce the need for extensive field crews.
The team’s boat, the Wave Adapted Modular Vessel (WAM-V), is equipped with a CTD sensor (Hydros 21 generation 2 conductivity, temperature, and depth sensor), which is a key component of the Water Quality System (WQS). The WQS was designed to be modular, allowing it to be transferred from one robotic boat to another. This off-the-shelf sensor integrated into the WAM-V enables the WQS to autonomously measure temperature and conductivity.
The team tested their WQS in various bodies of water, including the St. Mary’s River, Ashmun Bay, and the power canal. During the research component of the project, to ensure comprehensive data collection, the team devised a method of randomly sampling Monocle Lake, collecting data that would provide them with depth profiles of conductivity and temperature. This innovative approach ensured the robotic vessel could cover extensive areas across the lake, navigate to data points, lower the sensor down to a designated depth, and collect the data with precision.
This project highlights the interdisciplinary nature of modern environmental research, merging natural science with robotics. Remarkably, the data collected by the WAM-V was on par with that gathered by researchers, proving the system’s reliability and potential to revolutionize water quality monitoring.
For the AMORE 3.0 team, the experience has been transformative. Several members have secured full-time engineering positions: Michael Goldenbogen is now working as a computer engineer at DEVCOM Ground Vehicle Systems Center for the US Army; Ryan Houck is now a Vision Automation Engineer at Control System Integrators; Collin Pajot is now a Control Engineer at JR Automation; Nicolas Curlett is now a Control Engineer at Accent Controls; Chase Jannetta is finishing up his double major at LSSU while serving as president of LSSU’s marine robotics RobotX Club; and Zach Kassuba started graduate school at Louisiana State University, where he is pursuing a Master of Science degree.
With the help of their Faculty Advisor, Dr. Edoardo Sarda, Team AMORE 3.0 presented and published a technical paper at the Marine Technological Society’s (MTS-IEEE) OCEANS Conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia, CA. Kassuba also presented a poster of the project at the 2024 Michigan American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting in Lansing, Michigan in April 2024. The implications of this project go beyond just fancy robots and field trips. This project has given the students a wealth of experience in everything from grant writing and lab work to data analysis and hands-on engineering skills. It’s a perfect example of how LSSU is preparing students for the real world through interdisciplinary projects while making significant contributions to engineering and environmental research.
So, the next time you’re out on a lake in the Eastern Upper Peninsula and spot what looks like a robotic pontoon boat, don’t be alarmed. It’s probably just the LSSU AMORE team making waves!