WaterHCI Part 2: Open water sensing, meta-sensing, and observing with drones and augmented reality

WaterHCI (Water-Human-Computer Interface/Interaction/Intersection) is a new field of research that was introduced in our other IEEE SPICES 2022 paper appearing in this conference Proceedings. In this paper, which comprises Part 2 of this 2-paper series, SWIM (Sequential Wave Imprinting Machine), a WaterHCI tool developed in the 1970s, is applied to understanding physical phenomena in air and water, using drones (uncrewed aircraft or ships) for sensing and meta-sensing (the sensing of sensing), as well as to develop an epistemological framework for understanding the world, such as the world of sensing and sensors, as well as the environment, e.g. beach water characteristics, etc.. In Part 1, a sensor and meta-sensor pod was developed for being towed behind a swimmer to provide immediate augmented reality feedback of the current water characteristics to enable the swimmer to choose an optimal path to swim. In this paper (Part 2), this pod is now also used in the context of an autonomous watercraft developed for towing the pod in a pre-determined or adaptive pattern. Thus an augmented reality "heatmap" is developed that shows spatial variations such as water temperature, turbidity, conductivity, etc..