Remote Exploration Research Articles

Cost Estimate for Exploration of Oil and Gas Fields in the Arctic Zone

In the paper, the oil and gas exploration methods and technologies have been compared. It is noted that the use of modern computer technologies and mathematical models ensure progress in the search and exploration of hydrocarbons. Contact and remote exploration methods and technologies have been outlined. Among contact ones, the field and analytical methods have been compared, and among remote ones, geomorphological and structurometric techniques and computer geodynamic simulation (CGDS) developed by the authors have been successively analyzed. Based on expert analysis, it has been concluded that remote-sensing methods are significantly cheaper (3-10 times). Geomorphological and structurometric remote-sensing methods are based on GPS images, i.e. they use the ‘top view’ technology. On the contrary, the CGDS technique implements the ‘view from inside’ technology based on a system of geodynamic models. It does not require preliminary fieldwork, and its application may be focused on poorly developed, complex areas such as the Arctic zone.

Automatic object annotation in streamed and remotely explored large 3D reconstructions

We introduce a novel framework for 3D scene reconstruction with simultaneous object annotation, using a pre-trained 2D convolutional neural network (CNN), incremental data streaming, and remote exploration, with a virtual reality setup. It enables versatile integration of any 2D box detection or segmentation network. We integrate new approaches to (i) asynchronously perform dense 3D-reconstruction and object annotation at interactive frame rates, (ii) efficiently optimize CNN results in terms of object prediction and spatial accuracy, and (iii) generate computationally-efficient colliders in large triangulated 3D-reconstructions at run-time for 3D scene interaction. Our method is novel in combining CNNs with long and varying inference time with live 3D-reconstruction from RGB-D camera input. We further propose a lightweight data structure to store the 3D-reconstruction data and object annotations to enable fast incremental data transmission for real-time exploration with a remote client, which has not been presented before. Our framework achieves update rates of 22 fps (SSD Mobile Net) and 19 fps (Mask RCNN) for indoor environments up to 800 m3. We evaluated the accuracy of 3D-object detection. Our work provides a versatile foundation for semantic scene understanding of large streamed 3D-reconstructions, while being independent from the CNN’s processing time. Source code is available for non-commercial use.

ПРЕДВАРИТЕЛЬНАЯ ОЦЕНКА КОМБИНИРОВАННЫХ ЗАТРАТ НА РАЗРАБОТКУ И ИСПЫТАНИЯ ВЫСОКОНАДЕЖНЫХ ФИЗИКО-ХИМИЧЕСКИХ СИСТЕМ ЖИЗНЕОБЕСПЕЧЕНИЯ ДЛЯ ПОЛЕТОВ В ДАЛЬНИЙ КОСМОС С УЧЕТОМ ОТКАЗОВ ПО ОБЩИМ ПРИЧИНАМ

We have made a preliminary comprehensive cost estimation for reliability of life support systems (LSS) in 1000-d remote space exploration missions with the loss-of-crew probability at 0.0001 due to failure of hybrid, partly and maximally closed-loop LSSs currently used onboard the ISS Russian segment. Comprehensive cost of a simplified test program is 5-times higher than cost of any LSS. A beta-factor parametric model was used to analyze LSS reliability against common cause failures (CCFs) when reiterative redundancy cannot provide superhigh reliability. It appears that the required reliability against CCFs is achievable on the diversification principle, i.e. reiterative diverse redundancy of basic LSS technologies. The estimated LSS cost is twice as much in comparison with the traditional approach that takes into account independent failures only. Diverse inherent cold redundancy can reduce the cost about 30 % provided that R&D expenses on regenerative subsystems are equal.

Remote sensing data for Geological mapping and gold prospecting of Inteet area, northern Sudan

The mineral exploration has improved in the last decades, today there are different methods of remote exploration, that are applied in mining industry worldwide, helping to discover ore minerals deposits in zones that have not access to them. The study area of this article is located about 400 km from Khartoum, characterized by low reliefs covered by sand and gravely sand. The study wants to carry out the geological mapping and the prospective zones using remote sensing and GIS techniques. Sudan is characterized by geological formations over inaccessible areas, in that way the remote sensing technique has a great value in these conditions, saving time and money. The used methodology has been divided into three phases: Pre-field office work, field work and post-field work. The processing of the satellite images includes color band composites, in order to obtain the lithological and geological features, the different types of rocks were defined by a different color. Obtaining the following rock types: High-grade gneisses and migmatites described to comprise the basement complex, ophiolitic mafic-ultramafic rocks that appear in the northern and southern sides of the area, metasediments that cover most of the study area, syn-orogenic intrusions that cut the older mafic-ultramafic units and the metavolcanosedimentary sequences, post-orogenic intrusions and gold mineralization. Based on the image analysis results of Landsat 8 OLI, 32 ore samples were collected to analysis gold and pathfinder elements obtaining high anomalies results for Au, Ag, Cu, Zn, Pb and Fe.

Social Robotics for Nonsocial Teleoperation: Leveraging Social Techniques to Impact Teleoperator Performance and Experience

Research has demonstrated the potential for robotic interfaces to leverage human-like social interaction techniques, for example, autonomous social robots as companions, as professional team members, or as social proxies in robot telepresence. We propose that there is an untapped opportunity to extend the benefits of social robotics to more traditional teleoperation, where the robot does not typically communicate with the operator socially. We argue that teleoperated robots can and should leverage social techniques to shape interactions with the operator, even in use cases such as remote exploration or inspection that do not involve using the robot to communicate with other people. The core benefit of social robotics is to leverage human-like and thus familiar social techniques to communicate effectively or shape people’s mood and behavior. Initial results provide proofs of concept for similar benefits of social techniques applied to more traditional teleoperation; for example, we can design teleoperated robots as social agents to facilitate communication or to shape operator behavior, or teleoperated robots can leverage knowledge of operator psychology to change perceptions, potentially improving operation safety and performance. This paper provides a proposal and roadmap for leveraging social robotics techniques in more classical teleoperation interfaces.

Possibility of using Landsat satellite recordings in visualization and detection of thermal islands in the area of the city Vinkovci

All satellite data is generated as a record of electromagnetic radiation detected on the satellite sensor. The product of collecting information in remote explorations is a digital satellite record consisting of a pixel network representing the smallest surface that a particular sensor can collect, which is also a spatial resolution of the image. The position of each pixel is determined in the Cartesian coordinate system. To allow the ability to monitor climate change or mitigate the consequences of a natural disaster, the USGS has developed the Earth Explorer tool. USGS (US Geological Institute) provides science on natural hazards endangering life and existence; water, energy, minerals and other natural resources we rely on. This analysis will highlight the ability to use and monitor satellite imagery using the Earth Explorer browser. All satellite images are processed in QGIS. The spatial resolution of the satellite index (NDVI) as a quantitative measure of the state of the vegetation cover was tested on Landsat 8 images in the area of the city of Vinkovci. Highlighted natural disasters are thermal islands, and damage to the forest cover.

3D Perception and Augmented Reality Developments in Underwater Robotics for Ocean Sciences

Purpose of ReviewThis paper addresses the benefits and challenges of mixed reality (MR) for the exploration of deep-sea environments with remotely operated vehicles. The approach is twofold: virtual reality (VR) let the scientist explore the environment via a visual 3D model, overcoming limitations of local perception. Augmented reality (AR) concepts are designed in order to improve environment perception and interaction.Recent FindingsThe key to such concepts is the implementation of 3D visual geo-referenced terrain models from the imaging feedback gathered by the vehicle exploring its unknown surroundings. Image processing, underwater vehicle navigation, and user-friendly displays for robotic intervention are addressed in an integrated concept. A broad development programme carried out at the French Institute for Ocean Science, IFREMER, is described and illustrates technical topics and use cases.Summary3D perception derived from camera vision is shown to enable AR concepts that will significantly improve remote exploration and intervention in unknown natural environments. Cumulative geo-referenced 3D model building is in the process of being taken to reliable functioning in real-world underwater applications, accomplishing a milestone change in the capacity to view and understand the obscure and inaccessible deep-sea world.

Agricultural Drought Assessment in East Asia Using Satellite-Based Indices

Drought is the meteorological phenomenon with the greatest impact on agriculture. Accordingly, drought forecasting is vital in lessening its associated negative impacts. Utilizing remote exploration in the agricultural sector allows for the collection of large amounts of quantitative data across a wide range of areas. In this study, we confirmed the applicability of drought assessment using the evaporative stress index (ESI) in major East Asian countries. The ESI is an indicator of agricultural drought that describes anomalies in actual/reference evapotranspiration (ET) ratios that are retrieved using remotely sensed inputs of land surface temperature (LST) and leaf area index (LAI). The ESI is available through SERVIR Global, a joint venture between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). This study evaluated the performance of ESI in assessing drought events in South Korea. The evaluation of ESI is possible because of the availability of good statistical data. Comparing drought trends identified by ESI data from this study to actual drought conditions showed similar trends. Additionally, ESI reacted to the drought more quickly and with greater sensitivity than other drought indices. Our results confirmed that the ESI is advantageous for short and medium-term drought assessment compared to vegetation indices alone.

Hands in the Real World.

Robots face a rapidly expanding range of potential applications beyond controlled environments, from remote exploration and search-and-rescue to household assistance and agriculture. The focus of physical interaction is typically delegated to end-effectors—fixtures, grippers or hands—as these machines perform manual tasks. Yet, effective deployment of versatile robot hands in the real world is still limited to few examples, despite decades of dedicated research. In this paper we review hands that found application in the field, aiming to discuss open challenges with more articulated designs, discussing novel trends and perspectives. We hope to encourage swift development of capable robotic hands for long-term use in varied real world settings. The first part of the paper centers around progress in artificial hand design, identifying key functions for a variety of environments. The final part focuses on the overall trends in hand mechanics, sensors and control, and how performance and resiliency are qualified for real world deployment.

Subsea processing as a tool for cost reduction of deepwater projects

In order that the production and profits of petroleum companies do not decline, new oil field need to be discovered and exploited. Many of these new discoveries are offshore deepwater fields. However, the drop in oil prices in the last few years has made this type of exploration, which is already challenging in itself, even more difficult, so that companies are postponing or even canceling several deepwater projects. Innovation, new technologies and new concepts of oil and gas production and processing are necessary to make deepwater projects feasible and increase their competitiveness. The aim of this paper was to analyze the subsea processing of oil production as a strategy to reduce both capital and operating costs to enable remote offshore exploration. In addition, a discussion of the benefits and challenges of this strategy was also presented. It also includes a case study at the Lula field, in Brazilian pre-salt. Results demonstrate that the use of subsea separation has great potential to reduce OPEX and CAPEX on offshore projects. The current case study demonstrates a cost reduction due to the investment in the separators of around US$ 6.1 billion, a reduction about 6 to 12 times in the power needed to lift the production and a reduction of about 5 to 7 times in the expenditures with natural gas as fuel for the evaluated scenarios.

Pole to pole: the deep-sea king crab Lithodes couesi (Decapoda: Lithodidae) in the Burdwood Bank, Southwestern Atlantic Ocean

In recent years, remote exploration around the Scotia Arc and waters off the Antarctic Peninsula yielded new records of Lithodidae suggesting our knowledge on their distribution is biased by our ability to sample areas with difficult access. In the present study, we used molecular methods to identify and report the occurrence of the deep-sea king crab Lithodes couesi, so far reported as a North Pacific lithodid, in the marine protected area (MPA) Namuncura/Burdwood Bank II, Southwestern Atlantic Ocean; more than 10,000 km away from its known distribution. Our finding suggests that the distributions of deep-water lithodid species are more extensive than they have been previously thought. We emphasize the need for a worldwide key to identify lithodid species, and prompt to barcoding specimens, at least those from poorly known species or remote locations, in order to corroborate their specific status. Finally, our study stresses the importance of MPAs in the conservation of biodiversity, as well as the processes involved in its evolution.

A bridge-tailored multi-temporal DInSAR approach for remote exploration of deformation characteristics and mechanisms of complexly structured bridges

With the increasing operation time and environmental loads, a growing number of bridges are in poor conditions and suffer from continuous structural deformation. In order to understand how those deformations occurred and developed, the knowledge of bridge deformation characteristics and mechanisms is essential for users to manage and maintain bridges sustainably. The Differential Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (DInSAR) technique is an effective tool to observe the bridge deformation and has achieved a few impressive results. Nevertheless, the previous studies often focused on bridges with simple structure and high coherence, avoiding the difficulties in identifying dense and accurate point-like targets (PTs) upon complexly structured bridges with more severe de-correlation effects. Moreover, the traditional two-dimensional (2D) deformation maps of complexly structured bridges are difficult for non-expert users to understand in multi-dimensional views, increasing the difficulty of deformation interpretation. Finally, simply analyzing all the PTs’ deformation velocities equivalently without considering the structural information is insufficient to explore the deformation characteristics and mechanisms of complexly structured bridges. Starting from these limitations, we proposed a bridge-tailored multi-temporal DInSAR approach, and for the first time, explored the deformation characteristics and mechanisms of the complexly structured arch bridge and cable-stayed bridge. The density and accuracy of detectable PTs on bridges are improved by implementing a structure coherence-driven PTs selection strategy. A simple and fast algorithm for 3D visualization of bridge results is accomplished through integrating orthorectified PTs’ measurements from multi-track SAR datasets. Based on the 3D products, the deformation characteristics of different types of bridges are investigated by identifying the damage sensitive points (DSPs) and revealing the global deformations, and the deformation mechanisms of different bridge components are explored by analyzing the different types of PTs classified based on the spatial-temporal semantics. It is derived that the deformation characteristics of bridges are associated with their structural and material characteristics, and the deformation mechanisms of their DSPs are similar. The subsidence of land surface and foundations control the deformation of the pier-DSPs which mainly reflect the trend deformation of bridges, whereas the temperature variation drives the deformation temporal evolution of the span-DSPs which represent the elastic deformation of bridges.

Space: 'The New AI Frontier'?

Missions designed for the remote exploration of Martian caves are expected to use cooperative AI techniques, with the rovers Nasa plan to send to the Red Planet being completely autonomous. This is because mission durations could last for days and they would not have the time to have instructions delivered from Earth.

Passive Discrete Variable Stiffness Joint (pDVSJ-II): Modeling, Design, Characterization, and Testing Toward Passive Haptic Interface

In this paper, the modeling, design, and characterization of the passive discrete variable stiffness joint (pDVSJ-II) are presented. The pDVSJ-II is an extended proof of concept of a passive revolute joint with discretely controlled variable stiffness. The key motivation behind this design is the need for instantaneous switching between stiffness levels when applied for remote exploration applications where stiffness mapping is required, in addition for the need of low-energy consumption. The novelty of this work lies in the topology used to alter the stiffness of the variable stiffness joint. Altering the stiffness is achieved by selecting the effective length of an elastic cord with hook's springs. This is realized through the novel design of the cord grounding unit (CGU), which is responsible for creating a new grounding point, thus changing the effective length and the involved springs. The main features of CGU are the fast response and the low-energy consumption. Two different levels of stiffness (low, high) can be discretely selected besides the zero stiffness. The proposed physical-based model matched the experimental results of the pDVSJ-II in terms of discrete stiffness variation curves, and the stiffness dependency on the behavior of the springs. Two psychophysiological tests were conducted to validate the capabilities to simulate different levels of stiffness on human user and the results showed high relative accuracy. Furthermore, a qualitative experiment in a teleoperation scenario is presented as a case study to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed haptic interface.

Collaborative Haptic Exploration of Dynamic Remote Environments

Haptic perception is an important modality in reinforcing the presence of virtual or remote targets, but providing haptic feedback of dynamic environments still remains a challenging task. We address the issue of haptic telepresence systems by improving and integrating two independent approaches: real-time haptic rendering of unstructured spatial data and collaborative interaction with a remote partner. Contact with physical constraints is directly estimated from streaming point-cloud data without surface reconstruction, and haptic guidance cues that restrict or promote the users motion can be provided by both predefined triggers and gesture-based input from a helper. Through a user study with a proof-of-concept prototype, the authors show that the proposed approach significantly improves the performance of remote exploration tasks while enabling stable haptic interaction with real-world spatial data.

Spatial Spectroscopic Models for Remote Exploration.

Ancient hydrothermal systems are a high-priority target for a future Mars sample return mission because they contain energy sources for microbes and can preserve organic materials (Farmer, 2000 ; MEPAG Next Decade Science Analysis Group, 2008 ; McLennan et al., 2012 ; Michalski et al., 2017 ). Characterizing these large, heterogeneous systems with a remote explorer is difficult due to communications bandwidth and latency; such a mission will require significant advances in spacecraft autonomy. Science autonomy uses intelligent sensor platforms that analyze data in real-time, setting measurement and downlink priorities to provide the best information toward investigation goals. Such automation must relate abstract science hypotheses to the measurable quantities available to the robot. This study captures these relationships by formalizing traditional "science traceability matrices" into probabilistic models. This permits experimental design techniques to optimize future measurements and maximize information value toward the investigation objectives, directing remote explorers that respond appropriately to new data. Such models are a rich new language for commanding informed robotic decision making in physically grounded terms. We apply these models to quantify the information content of different rover traverses providing profiling spectroscopy of Cuprite Hills, Nevada. We also develop two methods of representing spatial correlations using human-defined maps and remote sensing data. Model unit classifications are broadly consistent with prior maps of the site's alteration mineralogy, indicating that the model has successfully represented critical spatial and mineralogical relationships at Cuprite. Key Words: Autonomous science-Imaging spectroscopy-Alteration mineralogy-Field geology-Cuprite-AVIRIS-NG-Robotic exploration. Astrobiology 18, 934-954.

Robotics for Seabed Teleoperation: Part-1–Conception and Practical Implementation of a Hybrid Seabed Robot

Remote exploration and work on the seabed require special-use robots that are adapted to both working on rough surfaces and traveling through an underwater environment. This paper discusses a prototype design for a hybrid robot that moves like a submarine in one configuration and like a humanoid in another. This hybrid design allows the robot to move efficiently on the work surface and execute its functions on that surface with human-like movements. Moreover the robot has hydraulic actuators with 24 degrees of freedom. Furthermore, this paper discusses design choices and preliminary tests related to navigation, transformation from one configuration to another, and a gestural teleoperation control scheme.

An Optimum Model for Slim Hole Well Kill

Abstract The slim hole drilling technology satisfies the oil and gas industry demands todays. As it offers not only a significant cost reduction but also minimize the environmental impact generated from the drilling operation. The cost reduction is realized from using smaller rigs and tubulars and less cement, drilling fluid and drilling cutting disposal1. In general slim hole wells reduce costs by 40-60% for remote exploration wells and 25-40% of development wells compared to the conventional wells2. The second main advantage of the slim hole drilling technology is the minimization of waste and improvement general environmental impact. If the size of the slim hole is half of a conventional one, the cuttings and mud volume will be 25% of a conventional volume2. Slim hole drilling technology has been impeded by the lack of documentation of well control methods for small annulus drilling3. One of the major barriers to the introduction of slim hole drilling technology to oil field operations was perceived to be the maintenance of safe standards of well control4. This paper will introduce a simple analysis of the pressures undergone by the well bore during killing operation so as to drive the optimum killing model for the slim hole wells.

Probing the Sky [Book Review

Probing the Sky with Radio Waves: From Wireless Technology to the Development of Atmospheric Science, by Chen-Pang Yeang, reads like a suspense novel. Yet it represents a masterpiece of philosophical and historical significance, displaying intimate knowledge of the technical and scientific subject matter. Probing the Sky with Radio Waves leads us from Heinrich Hertz?s discovery of the propagation of centimeter length waves in 1888 and Guglielmo Marconi?s transatlantic high frequency radio transmissions in 1901, to the discovery of Earth?s ionosphere and the remote exploration of the ionosphere with radio waves in the 20th century. The explosive expansion of ?wireless? communication from these early days to our time warrants this intimate look at the initially slow development of wireless radio, the engineers and inventors and the radio amateurs advancing the technology, and the physicists and mathematicians on all continents who developed the theories of radio wave propagation in an atmosphere that is partially ?ionized? by solar ultraviolet and X-ray radiation: the ionosphere. Engineers, especially, and students in the frontier technology and research of space weather exploration will greatly value finding the origins of their research tools and methods in this excellent history. Application of the Humboldtian approach: ?comprehensive and extensive fieldwork, careful preparation for expeditions, meticulous collection of data? turned natural history into modern field theory. Yeang reports on the often diverging efforts of individuals and teams of scientists, mainly in Europe and the United States, who tried to explain how radio waves can propagate over large distances in a then widely unknown medium, the atmosphere/ionosphere, in the presence of a conductive boundary, the earth?s surface.

Waste not, want not

Catalysis Natural gas often escapes or is deliberately burned at remote exploration sites because there is no economical way to transport it to markets. One route proposed for converting its main component, methane, into a more readily transported liquid is conversion to benzene over zeolites