Rise of the underwater robots
The capabilities of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are being pushed to new boundaries thanks to state-of-the-art sonar technology that enables the AUVs to be guided safely.
AUVs have plunged into the most extreme marine environments and proven to be an asset for the marine industry, whether navigating for defence missions or surveying during scientific expeditions.
Two organisations particularly active in developments are the UK-based National Oceanography Centre (NOC) with the creation of its new fleet of enhanced robotic submarine Autosub Long Range (ALR) vehicles; Sonardyne recently demonstrated Vigilant, a new kind of Forward Looking Sonar (FLS) that gives ships and unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) a vivid view of the ocean floor.
NOC’s AUVS reach new frontiers
As NOC continues to advance AUVS, this year, the organisation celebrates the 25th anniversary of its first AUV mission. It launched from Portland Harbour in Dorset, England, where Autosub-1 showed how it could operate under remote control for three days (with GPS and a dead-reckoning navigation), later to extend its horizons to Florida Coast and Bermuda in the following years.
NOC’s UK government funded Oceanids programme has successfully piloted new ALRs, including Boaty McBoatface. Its new fleet of six ALRs are capable of deployment for up to three months at a time, and can reach depths of up to 6,000m, while cutting operational costs and with less environmental impact. Their underwater capabilities are being tested in the depths of Loch Ness, Scotland before deployment for science missions in 2022.
“Looking forward, programmes like Oceanids have meant we’ve been able to progress the AUV technology, pushing the UK’s autonomous capability forward,” commented Dr Maaten Furlong, Head of the Marine Autonomous & Robotic Systems Group at the National Oceanography Centre.
In addition to these ALR developments, NOC has completed the first in-water trials of A2KUI – an under-ice vehicle able to carry powerful sensors and operate under floating glaciers in hostile polar regions, up to 2000m depth. It will allow scientists to explore hard to reach areas such as the melting Thwaites Glacier later this year, to research climate change’s influence on sea ice.
Sonar navigation
Another organisation making waves is Sonardyne with the development of Vigilant, a new kind of Forward Looking Sonar (FLS) for ships and USVs that alerts to threats hidden in view via a crystal clear 3D view of the seabed and water column.
Being a similar size to a gaming console, it is easy to fit to a variety of vessels, from private yachts to research ships, generating vivid 3D visuals of water depths up to 100m and out to 1.5km ahead, able to reveal a narrow channel or anchorage. In defence, it could be used for navigation, and for science, to push the boundaries of ocean exploration, even in the harsh polar regions.
It’s been designed to be more compact than previous models and can easily be fitted onto uncrewed surface vessels and diver delivery units that are often used by US Navy SEAL teams in hard-to-reach locations, while alerting crews to dangers that could cause collision.
Vigilant is not restricted to surface water vessels. Its capabilities underwater have been demonstrated as part of the first phase of the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) ‘Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle Testbed’ competition this year, which sought underwater technologies that may help the UK’s Royal Navy innovate for the next generation.
Vigilant was tested on an extra Large Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (XLUUV). During the demonstration, the XLUUV travelled beyond the breakwater outside Plymouth Sound, as Vigilant guided the underwater vehicle with a high-resolution bathymetric map.
NOC and Sonardyne are advancing the way we explore ocean depths. NOC’s new underwater vehicles enable expeditions to reach the deep ocean, under ice, and high seas, and Sonardyne’s sonar technology Vigilant reveals hidden obstacles along the way. These technologies could open new horizons for the defence industry, and for scientists, help them find out more about how climate change is impacting oceans.
Clarissa Wright is a freelance journalist.