Keeping track of underwater robots is hard since GPS doesn’t travel far through water. Dartmouth researchers say drones can spot them using nothing more than laser light.
One key issue was the low intensity of the light that came back to the drone. It was too low for a light sensor to capture. The researchers came up with a novel deign for a ring made of optical fibers that could cumulatively collect enough light, which they focused onto a super sensitive sensor placed at their center. This flower-like ring inspired the system’s name – Sunflower.
The report is here from Dartmouth news.
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