SideARM application-specific hardware
Lead Scientist: Hans Jannasch
Lead Engineer/Project Manager: Wayne Radachonski

Gathering oceanographic data is facilitated by instruments that can be deployed in the sea for long periods of time. Nearly all instruments used in oceanography require some form of electronic control and data storage, typically using a microprocessor-based controller. The capabilities of the instrument controller have a direct impact on the nature and duration of the measurements that can be taken.

Existing technology has constrained ocean instruments to simple data recording with little or no capability for data analysis, self testing or communication with shipboard or on-shore clients. However, recent advances in semiconductors offer many times the performance of previous low-power microprocessors, yet consume even less energy. This proposal exploits this new technology to build SideARM, a low-power high-performance microprocessor-based controller that will become a standard hardware component for MBARI's development projects.