Having this many sensors in this environment helps us monitor activity that’s happening in our waters. – Dr. John Kennedy
Ireland’s enormous territorial waters are tough to keep track of, but a new research project is flipping existing infrastructure into a surveillance system with massive potential. In the latest episode of ADAPT Radio, Professor Marco Ruffini and Dr. John Kennedy of Trinity College Dublin unpack how their Sea-Scan project transforms ordinary undersea fiber optic cables into sprawling acoustic sensor networks.
Professor Marco Ruffini is an Associate Professor and Fellow of Trinity College Dublin and Principal Investigator of both the CONNECT Telecommunications Research Centre and the IPIC Photonics Integration Centre. He is also an Academic Collaborator with ADAPT. He specialises in optical network architecture at the Department of Computer Science and Statistics, focusing on converged metro/access network architecture, long-reach passive optical networks, and inter-data centre connectivity.
Joining Marco, Dr. John Kennedy is an Associate Professor in Vibrations, Acoustics and Dynamics at Trinity College Dublin and Funded Investigator with ADAPT. His current research centres on the use of advanced additive manufacturing techniques to design and fabricate novel acoustic metamaterials for environmental noise control.
The idea of the Sea-Scan project is deceptively simple: by using distributed acoustic sensing (a technique that shoots laser pulses down a fiber and measures backscatter changes) they can turn cables into sensitive microphones under the sea. Every vibration, from the hum of ship engines to whale calls, leaves a signature.
Combined with machine learning, Sea-Scan can detect “dark vessels” that try to avoid detection by switching off identification beacons, classify different types of ships by their unique acoustic fingerprints, and even track the environmental impacts of shipping noise on marine ecosystems.
The potential reaches beyond security. The technology could aid environmental monitoring, support offshore wind farm planning, and give scientists new tools to study marine life migration. It could also help prevent damage to subsea infrastructure by detecting accidents early.
But there’s a lot of engineering left to do. The team’s next steps include improving AI accuracy, working with stakeholders on specific applications, and making the system operate in real time rather than weeks later in a lab.
The episode, Sea-Scan Maritime AI Technology, is available now on ADAPT Radio through Soundcloud, Spotify, and our site here.
