Portfolio
Autonomous Aquatic Robot for Invasive Vegetation Management
Overview
This project is an ongoing research and development effort focused on building a fully autonomous aquatic robot for managing invasive submerged vegetation. The system is being developed as part of the Collective Embodied Intelligence Laboratory at Cornell University.
The robot is designed as a self-contained underwater intervention platform, combining sensing, interaction, and onboard collection to reduce fragmentation and regrowth commonly associated with existing mechanical removal methods.
Conceptual Design
The figure above shows an early-stage conceptual model used to explore system layout and subsystem integration.
This model is illustrative only and does not represent the final mechanical design.
The platform architecture emphasizes modularity and coordinated underwater operation rather than surface-based harvesting.
Project Scope
The goal of this project is to demonstrate a cohesive autonomous system capable of:
- Operating in shallow aquatic environments
- Interacting directly with submerged vegetation
- Coordinating cutting, handling, and collection below the waterline
- Retaining biomass onboard to limit downstream dispersal
Design decisions prioritize robustness, controllability, and system-level integration over single-function tooling.
Current Development Focus
Active work on this project includes:
- Integrating an underwater manipulator end-effector for targeted interaction
- Developing a unified underwater module that coordinates sensing cutting, pumping, and collection
Research Context
- Lab: Collective Embodied Intelligence Laboratory
- Department: Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cornell University
- Role: Robotics R&D (Individual Project)
- Advisor: Prof. Kirstin Hagelskjaer Petersen
- Timeline: Aug 2025 – Present
Status
This repository documents an active research prototype.
Details are intentionally scoped to system-level concepts while implementation evolves toward a working prototype.
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