Development of a lightweight buoyancy vehicle for upper ocean surveys

A review of oceanic data collection technologies reveals a predominant focus on upper ocean measurements. There is also a noticeable trend toward autonomous data collection. While traditional profilers are built for extreme pressures and are focused on deep ocean data, we focus on a buoyancy mechanism redesign that aims to create a cost-effective autonomous profiler tailored to the upper ocean. A lightweight and user-friendly upper ocean profiler called the Aurelia Upper Ocean Profiler (UOP), inspired by the Aurelia jellyfish genus, is developed to focus on the top 200 metres of ocean. The proposed buoyancy vehicle is simplified down to bare necessities to create an inexpensive and compact system. It regulates its depth by adjusting its density using an open piston pump and monitoring oceanic pressure differentials. The current design includes wireless communications, a scalable buoyancy engine, and an intuitive interface. The Aurelia UOP’s origins trace back to a 2016 Senior Capstone project led by the first author. In total, the work of five multidisciplinary undergraduate teams and two graduate theses culminated in the Aurelia UOP, a compact 4.5 kg device capable of reaching depths of 50 m. Designed for versatility, it can be programmed via an Android interface using Bluetooth, executing multi-command missions for drifting, profiling, and sensor readings based on user-specified time/depth intervals.