Remote Under-Ice Roving in Alaska with the Buoyant Rover for Under-Ice Exploration

The Buoyant Rover for Under-Ice Exploration (BRUIE) is two-wheeled robot capable of roving in two-dimensional space in the under-ice environment. The rover has positive buoyancy, allowing it to stick to the ice underside and operate using similar control principles as those used for traditional above-ground rovers. Recently added capability allows the rover to operate without a tether, communicating with a nearby above-ice ground station, which can relay data to a remote command center for remote operation. Additional upgrades include a dissolved methane sensor and improved capability for escape from entrapment in soft ice pockets. The system has been tested in thermokarst lakes near Barrow, Alaska, and data from onboard video and methane sensors gives scientific insight to the formation and distribution of trapped methane pockets in the lake ice. Here we present the updated design and preliminary data from deployments in the fall seasons of 2012 and 2013.