With the use of unmanned systems, NOAA is reducing operational costs and manpower requirements, while increasing the type and quality of data that NOAA collects. In this episode, Rob Downs from NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey explains the past, present, and possible future of unmanned systems at NOAA.
When you hear the word “robot,” what comes to mind? Artificial intelligence? Machines that think for themselves? Pop culture is filled with references to robots. Here at NOAA we call them “unmanned,” or “autonomous,” systems. While their level of sophistication is nowhere near something you’d read about in a science fiction novel, these systems play an important role in the work that NOAA does.
I spoke with Rob Downs from NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey to find out how NOAA used unmanned systems in the past, how they’re used now, and how they might be used in the future.
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Image via NOAA.