July 13, 2007 3:59 AM PDT
What's inside the Pelican boxes? Among other things, a pair of batteries, one for propulsion and the other for instrumentation. The motherboard is a Technologic TS-7200 single-board computer with a 200MHz ARM-9 processor, 32MB of SDRAM, two RS-232 serial ports, two USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet port and other features. The system uses a 2GB compact flash card for file storage, chosen instead of a disk drive to reduce power and volume requirements and to allow for fast backup.
Success in the competition, put on by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International and the Office of Naval Research, could bring cash prizes of up to $20,000 and "serious bragging rights," according to the AUVSI.
Photo by Jim Graham/Project Stingray/U.S. Naval Academy
