DRAGON

DRAGON exploring a shipwreck in Hathaway Pond. The diver
on the left is Fred Marin, a WHOI engineering technician. 

"I felt like it was going to lay eggs on me."

- Fred Marin

DRAGON was designed for biomimicry, but it seems the engineers might have done a little too well. My dive buddy for the day, Fred, was a little creeped out by the soft robot's motion. I'll admit, DRAGON did look a lot like a worm. It bent and wriggled, whereas most robots spin and pitch. 

With a sharp inhale, I watched the DRAGON robot swim through the water. I let my breath out slowly, focused my camera, and triggered the shutter - one photo, two photos. Another breath in, and I counted in my head to slow my inhale. DRAGON bent this way and that, sweeping its own camera to take in the submerged boat. Three photos, four photos, and I breathed out through my regulator. 

We were only underwater for about 10 minutes, but I took a few dozen photos. Fred captured video. In a kayak above us, robotics professor Robin Hall waited patiently, while his student manned the controls on shore. 

DRAGON exploring a shipwreck in Hathaway Pond.

I met Robin through a mutual collaborator last year. His research program focuses on developing soft robots - vehicles with flexible components instead of hard outer shells. When he introduced me to DRAGON, I immediately saw potential. This small vehicle, about the length of my arm and only twice as wide, can go places I can't - small interior spaces of shipwrecks. What's more, it can navigate semi-autonomously, bending away from obstacles, and because it's soft, an accidental collision will still not be the end of the world. 

As with all scientific collaborations, the first step is finding money. Robin thought that a few photos of DRAGON in action underwater would help us make a strong case for funding, so Fred and I met him at the pond. It was really cool to see DRAGON navigate and explore around a shipwreck - and any day I'm underwater is a good day. Next, we'll write proposals, and with any luck, we'll get to deploy DRAGON on more shipwrecks very soon.