Students in UD’s Environmental Field Robotics course completed a term project over the fall 2024 semester using cutting-edge autonomous technology to create a map of UD’s Hugh R. Sharp Campus in Lewes. One of the tools they utilized was the Ghost Robotics Vision 60 Quadrupedal Uncrewed Ground Vehicle (Q-UGV) — otherwise known as a “robot dog” or a terrestrial robot and affectionately nicknamed “Snoop.”

Mapping the Lewes campus

Article by Adam Thomas Photos courtesy of Art Trembanis February 20, 2025

UD students use autonomous robots to help map the Hugh R. Sharp Campus in Lewes

Among the many applications for environmental robotics, mapping is an essential task and allows uncrewed ground vehicles (UGV), uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) to travel to locations that can be perilous or impossible for humans to reach. These systems are integral to advancing the Blue Economy, defined as the sustainable use of ocean resources to drive economic growth and preserve the health of ocean ecosystems.

Now, the University of Delaware is training the next generation of environmental roboticists. Students in UD’s Environmental Field Robotics course completed a term project over the fall 2024 semester using cutting-edge autonomous technology to create an unprecedented map of UD’s Hugh R. Sharp Campus in Lewes. Their mapping efforts also produced a 3D-printed model of campus and a virtual reality (VR) “digital twin” of the campus that students were able to walk through when wearing a virtual reality headset.

Art Trembanis, professor in the School of Marine Science and Policy, led the class. Over the course of the semester, students learned everything from mission planning to hands-on mapping out in the field, to analyzing the data to ultimately creating both a 3D and a VR model of the campus.

Students in UD’s Environmental Field Robotics course completed a term project over the fall 2024 semester using cutting edge autonomous technology to create an unprecedented map of UD’s Hugh R. Sharp Campus in Lewes. The class was split up into three teams: an aerial robotics team, a sea robotics team and a ground robotics team. In this picture, a student is seen piloting an aerial drone.

Trembanis said the class, made up of a mix of graduate students from the College of Earth, Ocean and Environment (CEOE) and the College of Engineering (COE), focused on enhancing students' skills in field robotics with a specific emphasis on environmental applications.

“The project was a remarkable learning experience that not only enhanced academic knowledge but also prepared students for real-world applications in the growing field of environmental robotics,” Trembanis said. “Witnessing the students present their findings and mapping results with such pride was gratifying. They really owned the project and its outcomes."

In addition to the field mapping, the class also had a lecture component during which guest lecturers talked about the surveying technology they used or the latest technology used in the field.

For the term project, the class divided up into three teams: an aerial robotics team, a sea robotics team and a ground robotics team. Each team was tasked with collaboratively mapping the Lewes campus and its marine basin using autonomous systems.

Josh Lewis, an active-duty Naval officer and doctoral student at UD, worked on the ground robotics team as part of the project. Lewis said the group’s main duty in the field was to operate the Ghost Robotics Vision 60 Quadrupedal Uncrewed Ground Vehicle (Q-UGV) — otherwise known as a “robot dog” or a terrestrial robot and affectionately nicknamed “Snoop.”

The sea robotics team utilized autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) to help map the marine basin of the Lewes campus.

The group utilized a LiDAR system and Go-Pro cameras and mounted them on top of the vehicle and on the sides of the drone to do the mapping.

“Essentially, what that provided us with was a LiDAR point cloud and we could use software to create a 3D image from that,” Lewis said. “Then the Go-Pro was taking photos every half a second and we could throw those photos into other software that made 3D images, almost like Google Earth images, from the still photos.”

Lewis said working with the Q-UGV was incredibly high tech and maybe even a little intimidating.

“This was a high-tech, commercial system that was developed by a lot of engineers and here we are, students jumping into this, trying to figure it all out,” Lewis said. “But we were able to figure it out and get comfortable once we worked with it a little bit and were able to mount systems on it.”

Julia Greco, a first-year graduate student in the marine science program with a concentration in physical ocean science and engineering, worked with the aerial robotics team. She said that the class would meet every Monday at the Lewes campus, where her team used drones to take photogrammetric surveys of campus.

As part of her graduate degree program, Greco is conducting research in coastal mapping and on barrier islands for the National Parks Service with Trembanis. She said that being on the aerial robotics team gave her exposure to a Wingtra drone, which she will be using during her research.

In addition to mapping the Lewes campus, during the course of the semester, students learned everything from mission planning to hands-on mapping out in the field, to analyzing the data to ultimately creating both a 3D and a VR model of the campus. The class also had a lecture component during which guest lecturers talked about the surveying technology they used or the latest technology used in the field.

“I was simultaneously processing the surveys from campus and my research, so I learned from both at the same time what works and what doesn’t and what the software likes and what it doesn’t,” Greco said. “That was definitely a huge part of helping me get along with my research and then I also qualified for a part 107 certification through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for drone piloting.”

In addition to the aerial mapping, Greco said it was great to be exposed to the different kinds of environments and the autonomous systems used to map those environments.

“I was on the air team but throughout the class, I was able to observe what the sea team was doing and what the land team was doing,” Greco said. “Then, for the final product, we were able to all come together and make a 3D-printed model of the campus, which was pretty cool.”

Trembanis was inspired by watching the students tackle complex problems and develop innovative solutions. Not only did they plan and execute field missions, but they also learned to collect and analyze data effectively.

“What really stood out to me was how well the students adapted to the challenges of field robotics,” Trembanis said. “They gained practical experience with cutting-edge technologies used in the Blue Economy and this course equipped them with the skills they need for their futures, especially as they look to enter the workforce in fields related to environmental science and technology.”

Critical sponsorship for the extensive field experiences in this hands-on course came from Project ABLE, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) project aimed at igniting the Blue Economy in Delaware.