Background Unmanned vehicles such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can be used for performing surveillance, reconnaissance, and exploration tasks in a wide variety of environments for military and civilian applications. A UAV may be manually controlled by a remote user, or may operate in a semi-autonomous or fully autonomous manner. Such UAVs can...

Background Many current sensors, including gas concentration analyzers based on laser absorption spectroscopy, provide simultaneous, precise, and accurate measurement of gases (e.g., CO2 and N2O) for agriculture, soil science, ecological, and emissions quantification applications. However, they are often expensive to produce and operate. Recent research...

Continuous long-term observation of coral reefs is essential for gathering crucial data that helps determine the state of environmental health. Coral reefs support 25% of all marine species which makes it necessary that they be monitored for good health. Traditional methods of coral reef monitoring, such as diver-based surveys and airborne observatories,...

Drones are garnering considerable interest for their capacity in autonomously transporting objects across diverse sectors. Their potential is poised to revolutionize the logistics realm by offering swifter, more cost-effective and efficient transportation solutions. This includes facilitating expedited delivery services for packages, transporting essential...

Background Current methods for estimating high-resolution hyperspectral images focus on using spectrometer data to estimate the spectral response of each pixel in the high-resolution image, and then fusing this information with the multispectral data. This results in a high-resolution hyperspectral image that has proven to be effective for high-resolution...

Background Robotic technology has a wide range of applications, particularly when it is backed by a comprehensive network of sensors and data, as is the case with unmanned aerial systems (UAS). For agricultural applications, UAS-based aerial imagery can provide information about crop stress and yield and is a common tool for in-field data collection....

Background High-altitude balloons, often referred to as weather balloons, play a critical role in weather forecasting by collecting essential atmospheric data. These balloons, typically filled with hydrogen or helium, carry radiosondes aloft, which measure temperature, humidity, pressure, wind speed and direction and various altitudes. High-altitude...

Black-footed ferrets have become one of the most endangered animals in North America due to the emergence of the sylvatic plague, a flea-borne bacterial disease of wild rodents. To mitigate the loss of this species, a sylvatic plague vaccine (SPV) has been developed in combination with a peanut butter bait for oral administration to wildlife. Current...

Shake tables provide a critical tool for simulating earthquake events and testing the response of structures to seismic forces. Simulated earthquake conditions can help civil engineers identify potential weaknesses in the design and suggest ways to improve a structure’s resilience. In a controlled laboratory setting, shake tables can also be...