Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute received a $2m grant from the U.S. Navy to develop a robotic laser system to identify mines and other threats in ports and coastal waters. The system to be developed at Harbor Branch would involve a group of underwater robots scanning the water with laser beams and sending information to shore or to a ship above. According to project leader Fraser Dalgleish, an assistant research professor at Harbor Branch, the technology would allow images of much larger areas of the ocean than are now possible. The process will involve 10 Harbor Branch staffers over four to five years and require at least another $2 million from the Navy, Dalgleish said.
