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As
a device that can accurately measure cave and tunnel dimensions,
Sonoran is ideal for industrial applications in mining,
drilling, and drainage, as well as in geological studies
and in military reconnaissance. The small, untethered,
self-contained nature of the platform allows the device
to travel farther into the subterranean realm than current
GPS-based systems allow and where the environment is too
hazardous for humans.
Sonoran's
ultrasonic cave-mapping platform combines an ultrasonic
ranging system, a scanning solar assembly, and a six-degrees-of-freedom
inertial navigation system (INS). Sonoran takes precise
measurements of cave and tunnel dimensions as the vehicle
upon which it is mounted navigates the cave or tunnel.
The INS is capable of measuring speeds up to 45 mph, with
rotational rates up to 300° per second. The ultrasonic
ranging system can probe up to 35 feet with 1% error.
The
drop-in flexibility of the PSoC CY8C26443 microcontroller
allows for advanced applications like: coupling the INS
with GPS, and using the former in a gap-filling mode to
interpolate between two points; quickly adding gas, humidity,
temperature, and PIR sensors to create a complete survey
of the target environment; and configuring the platform
to run as a slave, and using the ultrasonic ranging data
to continuously recalibrate the navigation system.
John
Neumann
Cambridge, MA, U.S.
neumann@post.harvard.edu
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