Rapid Environment Picture (REP) is an yearly exercise sponsored in part by the Portuguese Navy working primarily with the Faculty of Engineering, Univ. of Porto (FEUP). To date different years have had varying thrusts in complex networked engineering systems. This year the REP exercise (REP-13) brings together a multi-disciplinary team of marine biologists from the Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources (CIBIO), computer scientists from FEUP, both at the University of Porto and members of the Autonomous Systems group at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), Moss Landing, California, and the Portuguese Navy to carry out a novel experiment which bridges biology, autonomy and control.
The REP exercise, co-organized by the Portuguese Navy and the Porto University, aims at testing autonomous vehicles in real-world scenarios.
In the 2013 REP, FEUP deployed two AUVs, the LAUVs Xtreme-2 and Noptilus-1, as well as three UAVs, the very recent X-8. Onboard the vehicles, MBARI deployed their T-REX artificial intelligence package.
The Wavy drifter, a device jointly developed by FEUP and the Portuguese Hydrographic Institute, was also demonstrated. This device is used in the study of ocean currents, by sending periodic position updates while left drifting in the ocean.
There was also the opportunity to do some preliminary tests to the satellite trackers being developed by FEUP, in partnership with CIBIO.
These trackers will be used for tracking sunfish, in an experiment taking place in May 2014. This future experiment, in which FEUP, CIBIO and MBARI also take part, aims at collecting data about the sunfish habits.
Read more at Sunfish Tracking