Narragansett
native considered leader in field
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| Phillip Rhyner, a 2007 ocean engineering graduate from the University of Rhode Island. Photo courtesy of Phillip Rhyner. |
Phillip Rhyner’s submersible searched for gold off the coast of
Alaska years ago as part of a reality television show, but now the University
of Rhode Island graduate is on the hunt for something else: a hefty prize for
his deep-sea underwater technology.
Rhyner, 36, who graduated from URI in 2007 with a degree in
ocean engineering, is one of 21 semifinalists for the Shell Ocean Discovery
XPRIZE, an international contest featuring the latest technology in rapid,
unmanned and high-resolution ocean exploration.
The semifinalists were announced at the Catch the Next Wave
conference in San Diego Feb. 24. Rhyner works as an engineer at Eddy Pump Corp.
in El Cajon, Calif., and he heads Orca Robotics in San Diego as a personal
project.
“For me, it’s the biggest undertaking I’ve ever taken on,’’ says
Rhyner. “It’s been thrilling since I started this. I’m confident I will fare
well.”
XPRIZE officials say Rhyner is among the leaders in underwater
exploration.
“Through the XPRIZE we have an unprecedented opportunity to
create next generation tools, technologies and techniques that will illuminate
deep-sea wonders and unlock an era of ocean exploration.”
Rhyner, a Narragansett native, made a name for himself
nationally for designing a remotely operated, submersible sub-dredge that pumps
sediment from the sea floor.
The car-sized dredge was a star in the Discovery Channel show
“Bering Sea Gold,’’ where it was lowered under the ice off the coast of
northwest Alaska to search for gold. Rhyner went to Alaska for two months to
oversee filming.
His latest work involves creating underwater vessels and drones
for the XPRIZE contest. Rhyner and his team at Orca Robotics are creating an
underwater system that uses sonar and computing power to provide results in
real time.
“I am at the stage of finishing the design, sourcing materials
to build prototypes to test, fundraising, and all around stressing on how I can
get two years of work done in a few months for the contest,’’ says Rhyner, from
his home in California.
“My goal is to turn the ocean map into what Google maps
do for street views. I think this contest will open the door for mapping the
chemistry, biology and physical condition of the entire ocean.”
Over the next 10 months, Rhyner and the others will add the
finishing touches to their project for the second round. They will focus on
mapping at least 20 percent of the competition area to identify at least five
archaeological, biological or geological features at any depth, all within 16
hours.
Translation: The projects will try to reach depths deeper than
the Grand Canyon and map an area that is nearly five times the area of Paris.
Ten finalists will be selected to go past the second round and will split a $1
million prize.
In the finals, a $4 million grand prize and a $1 million second
place prize will be awarded. Orca Robotics and other semifinalists are also
competing for a $1 million bonus prize from the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration.
Rhyner is in good company. Among the other semifinalists are
Blue Devil Ocean Engineering at Duke University, ARGGONAUTS from Germany,
KUROSHIO from Japan, GEBCO-NF from New Zealand, Tampa Deep-Sea X-Explorers from
Tampa, Fla., and ENVIRODRONE from Ontario, Canada.
Rhyner says he welcomes any input from ocean engineering
students at URI. “I’m very proud of my education from the ocean engineering
program at URI,” he says.
“I’m very open to them if they want any involvement
in my XPRIZE project. I’d be proud to say this is an Orca Robotics entry in
partnership with URI’s ocean engineering program.”