Dec. 20, 2011
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SOUTH POLE - ERDC Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) Polar Researchers Dr. Jim Lever and Lynette Barna believe their Dartmouth College-partnered "Yeti" team has become the first to successfully operate an autonomous vehicle at the South Pole.
Yeti, a lightweight, one-square-meter vehicle built by students at Dartmouth College under the supervision of project co-leaders Lever and Dr. Laura Ray of Dartmouth, is designed to travel over snow and rough terrain.
Yeti completed three consecutive days of autonomous ground penetrating radar (GPR) surveys Dec. 12 over "Old Pole"—a collection of buried buildings that were used for base operations from the 1950s to 1970s. Explosives were used last year to fill in any voids around the buildings that could be dangerous for vehicle or foot travel. The surveys were performed in minus 32 degree Celsius conditions with "zero immobilizations."
Barna conveyed the GPR data to CRREL-retiree and contractor Allan Delaney in Texas each evening, who completed the interpretation and assessment and pronounced the area "all clear."
Yeti, part of ERDC's EPOLAR—Engineering for Polar Operations, Logistics and Research—program, incorporates GPR developed by Dr. Steven Arcone, CRREL