This TEAMER RFTS 1 (Request for Technical Support) project supported the flume tank testing of a long range, high endurance unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) to monitor maritime space. Today, battery-powered remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) lack the duration to make persistent, wide-area data collection possible.The proposed solution, an Electrically Engaged UnduLation (EEL) drone, can sustain missions for longer duration through hydrodynamic energy harvesting. Power is provisioned via the piezoelectric effect, a material-led phenomenon that converts applied stress into electricity. The EEL subsystems include power, propulsion, navigation, ballast, telemetry, and instrumentation. By mimicking the gait of aquatic eels, EEL can counter currents during maneuvering and level-flight. The identified opportunity is in the future capability of extreme endurance UUVs in swarms. The specific goal for the EEL development is to expand the spatio-temporal coverage of the existing ocean observation mission by overcoming significant challenges of autonomous robotics. Some of the challenges presented include novel compliant mechanism for robust actuation, bio-inspired design to emulate efficient locomotion, smart material-based energy harvesting for sustained power, and swarming architecture through enabled autonomy.

The Electrically Engaged UnduLation (EEL) system is a buoyancy-driven submersible device for powering oceanographic instruments. Physically, EEL is a slender body whose flexible spine is made up of energy units interconnected by uniaxial hinges. Each unit consists of a pair of piezoelectric elements that converts the bending stress into electrical current to a battery charging circuit. An outer plastic skin forms a seal against water and allows for flexibility at hinge locations. At the top is a bluff body with electronics that holds a ballast for buoyancy adjustment. The bluff body is also responsible for creating fluid instabilities in its wake. When gliding through the water (mode 2), the spine will flex in response to the alternating vortices that shed from the head. This "lock-in" phenomenon occurs when the frequency at which vortices shed resonates with the EEL natural frequency, during which the efficient gaits were found in species of sea snake, eels, and fish. For active propulsion, a single motor can be placed at the first segment and provide the oscillatory input for propulsion similar to a dolphin's kick. Such an efficient swimming is both efficient and nearly silent compared to a spinning propeller. Ultimately, mimicking bio-locomotion provides a viable path to a drag-reduced, self-propelled energy harvesting system for ocean monitoring. Project is part of the TEAMER RFTS 1 (request for technical support) program.

Software and testing data from the OH Hinsdale Wave lab for DOE-funded project on Co-Design of Marine Energy Converters for Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Docking and Recharging. This project will perform foundational research and testing to accelerate the sector-wide development and deployment of marine energy converters to provide Power-At-Sea. Specifically, we seek to overcome known challenges and knowledge gaps for the successful co-design of coupled Wave Energy Converter (WEC)-Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) systems; systems designed and tested for WEC array system health and environmental monitoring applications. This project brings together an experienced, multi-institution, and multi-disciplinary team to focus on the co-design of marine energy (ME) technologies and AUV docking systems, including multi-body hydrodynamic modeling, active control, autonomy, and hardware interfaces necessary to enable new WEC-focused understanding, and allow for robust and ubiquitous AUV docking and recharging in real-world conditions.

Software and testing data from the OH Hinsdale Wave lab for DOE-funded project on Co-Design of Marine Energy Converters for Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Docking and Recharging. This project will perform foundational research and testing to accelerate the sector-wide development and deployment of marine energy converters to provide Power-At-Sea. Specifically, we seek to overcome known challenges and knowledge gaps for the successful co-design of coupled Wave Energy Converter (WEC)-Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) systems; systems designed and tested for WEC array system health and environmental monitoring applications. This project brings together an experienced, multi-institution, and multi-disciplinary team to focus on the co-design of marine energy (ME) technologies and AUV docking systems, including multi-body hydrodynamic modeling, active control, autonomy, and hardware interfaces necessary to enable new WEC-focused understanding, and allow for robust and ubiquitous AUV docking and recharging in real-world conditions.

This report outlines marine field demonstrations for manipulation tasks with a semi-Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (sAUV). The vehicle is built off a Seabotix vLBV300 platform with custom software interfacing it with the Robot Operating System (ROS). The vehicle utilizes an inertial navigation system available from Greensea Systems, Inc. based on a Gladiator Landmark 40 IMU coupled with a Teledyne Explorer Doppler Velocity Log to perform station keeping at a desired location and orientation. We performed two marine trials with the vehicle: a near-shore shared autonomy manipulation trial and an offshore attempted intervention trial. These demonstrations were designed to show the capabilities of our sAUV system for inspection and basic manipulation tasks in real marine environments.

This dataset contains software, sensor data, and experimental recordings generated during Year 3 of a DOE-funded project focused on the co-design of marine energy converters and autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) docking and recharging systems. Data were collected during experimental testing at the O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory and support foundational research aimed at advancing coupled Wave Energy Converter (WEC)-AUV systems for marine energy applications. The dataset includes pressure sensor recordings collected on a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) under varying wave conditions; vehicle data recorded during autonomous docking operations; and video footage from tests demonstrating AUV docking procedures. Also included is software hosted in a linked GitHub repository, which provides installation instructions, supporting code for BlueROV2 operation, and relevant dependencies for data handling and system control. This release builds on data provided in a previous submission from earlier phases of the project, linked below.

This dataset contains time-series simulation data generated by Pyro-E LLC using Simcenter STAR-CCM+ that characterizes the hydromechanical behavior of the Electrically Engaged unduLation (EEL) marine energy system. Data include measurements of tail displacements in the X and Z directions and estimates of horizontal and vertical thrust forces produced by the EEL device. Simulations were conducted for incident wave periods of 1, 3, and 9 seconds, across wave heights from 0.1 m to 1.6 m. All data are stored in CSV format, with units indicated in column headers. Data files are organized and named via wave period and height in the archive below. Physical testing by Pyro-E informed these simulations, which were performed in collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to assess the material response of the EEL system under varying hydrodynamic conditions. The data complement the accompanying public report titled "Electrically Engaged UnduLation (EEL) Marine Energy System." This data collection was funded by TEAMER RFTS 2 (request for technical support) program.

This dataset contains data recordings generated during Year 3 of a DOE-funded project focused on the co-design of marine energy converters and autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) docking and recharging systems. Data was collected during experimental testing at the O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory and support foundational research aimed at advancing coupled Wave Energy Converter (WEC)-AUV systems for marine energy applications. This release builds on and supplements data provided in the previously submitted Year 3 project software and data submission from this project, linked below. This dataset includes measurements of wave elevation, water pressure, dock motion, load on a dock, and load on a fixed Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV). Additionally, a testing log is provided including testing logs and summary of the five conditions tested: -(1) regular and random waves -(2) waves with dock motions -(3) multi-sine waves -(4) multi-sine dock motions -(5) multi-sine waves with dock motions.

This dataset contains experimental results from testing the Halona wave energy converter (WEC) in both fixed and floating configurations. This dataset reflects a 1/10th scale omnidirectional spar buoy oscillating water column (OWC) device, designed to improve platform stability for autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) docking. Tests were conducted at the O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory's Directional Wave Basin, replicating field conditions anticipated for a full-scale deployment at Kilo Nalu, Oahu. The experiments included unidirectional and directional wave conditions, spanning regular and irregular waves, with varying power take-off (PTO) damping settings represented by different orifice plates. Data collected include differential pressure across orifice plates, six-degree-of-freedom motion capture, surface elevation, and mooring tension forces, with units clearly labeled and standardized. Data products include pressure, surface elevation, mooring tension, and PhaseSpace Motion response data, as well as normalized Response Amplitude Operators (RAOs), normalized chamber pressures, and capture efficiencies. Data are provided below in the zip files, with 'RNG' and 'Reg' identifiers for irregular and regular wave tests respectively, and are labelled with alpha values (percentage relating to opening ratio). Comprehensive MATLAB scripts for data analysis and figure generation are included. The tests support validation of OpenFOAM and ProteusDS models. Use of the dataset assumes familiarity with wave energy converter testing, MATLAB software, and standard hydrodynamic modeling practices. Results from this testing are detailed in publications by Ulm, Huang, and Cross (2023, 2024, and 2025). A Post Access Report summarizing the experimental methods and findings is also attached.

Collaborative effort between AquaHarmonics, Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to revise and validate Aquaharmonics' full wave to wire model, allowing for reduced uncertainty and increased understanding of design requirements of a utility scale wave energy converter (WEC). SNL and NREL in collaboration with AquaHarmonics, will set up and run WEC Simulator (WEC-Sim) models of the AquaHarmonics WEC, building off past model developments for inclusion of custom PTO (power take-off) dynamics. The intent is to review, update, and verify or validate a new WEC-Sim model against wave tank experimental data. Furthermore, the WEC-Sim model will be coupled to an energy storage system model to better understand the wave-to-wire functionality. This data set is described in the "Test Log" excel file. Please refer to that document for details on each specific test date/time, constraint parameters and model hardware setup details. Sim model can be found in the associated MHKDR link below.