Unmanned vehicles for
shallow and coastal waters
To the Devon & Cornwall joint branch
of IMarEST & RINA, the southwest branch of the Hydrographic
Society, and the University of
Plymouth Marine Science Society
Paul Newman
Offshore industry consultant & trainer
Douglas-Westwood Limited
12th January 2010
Unmanned Vehicles for shallow and coastal waters 12th January 2010
Source: Ocean Server
1
Introduction
AUV
Gliders
USV
AUV and USV for shallow water
Further developments and
conclusions
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Source: Maribotics
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Douglas-Westwood (www.dw-1.com)
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Established in 1990
An independent employee-owned company with 20 staff and a
number of specialist consultants
Company background in underwater technology (ROV and Sonar)
Leading provider of business research & analysis, strategy and
commercial due diligence on the global energy services sectors.
Offices in Canterbury, Aberdeen, New York and Singapore
Have completed more than 600 projects and provided products &
services to 400 clients in 60 countries.
Client list includes government agencies, energy majors and their
suppliers, investment banks & private equity firms.
Provide advisory, research, publication and transaction services, and
our activities span a very wide range of topics related to the energy
sector and associated technology
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Douglas-Westwood publications (www.dw-1.com)
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Paul Newman
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BSc Hydrography (Plymouth) MSc Applied Oceanography (Bangor)
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Offshore surveyor and support engineer for Svitzer, Thales GeoSolutions and Concept Systems
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Co-authored a number of major published reports for Douglas
Westwood on various aspects of subsea and unmanned technology
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Involved in a number of due diligence, pre-investment studies and
company consultations involving: ROV, AUV, Radar, visualisation
software, marine renewable energy (wave and tidal energy), ocean
observation systems, and many aspects of sonar systems and
technology
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Introduction
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Introduction
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Unmanned vehicles are now used for a variety of missions in the
marine environment, either as an alternative to a manned vessel, or as
a “force multiplier” for existing vessels or research campaigns.
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Drivers for use of unmanned vehicles and systems include:
Vessel time is expensive and hard to come by
Long-duration measurements and observations desired
Acceptance/growing maturity of unmanned technology
Remove personnel from risk
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This presentation hopes to introduce these vehicles to a wider
audience, and to stimulate interest in the development and application
of robotic vehicles for the academic, research, survey and technology
communities.
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Issues in shallow and coastal waters
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Issues regarding civilian, academic and commercial marine data
collection include:
Vessel and crew cost/availability
Mobilisation and access
Metocean conditions
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Issues in the security and military sector include:
Threats from mines (floating or buried)
Threat to assets from IED on surface craft,
Vessel and crew exposure during support for covert operations
Modern submarines hard to detect
Could unmanned vehicles help?
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Shallow and coastal applications for unmanned vehicles
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Bathymetric/Hydrographic survey
As a sensor platform
Collection of CTD data in support of surveys
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Research - collection of:
Environmental/water quality data (pH, turbidity, temperature, salinity)
Observations for oceanographic, meteorological, climatic, biological
and fisheries research
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Security & Military
vessels, ports and harbours, borders and boundaries
mine countermeasures (MCM)
anti-submarine warfare (ASW)
Rapid environmental assessment (REA)
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Adoption of AUV and USV technologies
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Hydrographic mapping (non Oil & Gas)
Iver2 AUV for CTD support (Ocean Server for NOAA)
USS 6300 USV (C&C Technologies for NOAA & ONR)
Hugin 3000 (Fugro Pelagos for US NAVOEANO)
SAMS (REMUS 6000) for US NAVOCEANO
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Commercial Hydrography (inc. Oil & Gas)
Hugin 1000, 3000 and 4500 (Fugro, C&C Technologies and DOF)
Bluefin 21 (Fugro)
REMUS 100 (Fugro)
Gavia Offshore Surveyor (NCS Survey), 1 with Woodside
Marport SQX-1 (Geodetic Offshore Services)
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Military and Research
AUV and gliders now very numerous, early days for USV
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Unmanned Vehicle Types
Unmanned vehicle types
AUV: Autonomous underwater vehicle
ROV: Remotely operated vehicle
ROTV: Remotely operated towed vehicle
UGV: Unmanned ground vehicle
USV: Unmanned surface vehicle
UAV: Unmanned aerial vehicle
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AUV – Autonomous Underwater Vehicles
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AUV Prospects
AUV market worth $2.3 billion over the next decade
Forecast that around 1,400 new AUV will be built (there have been at
least 630 built already)
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AUV Basics
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Hull construction:
free-flooding units with pressure hulls,
main hull being sealed to act as a pressure vessel,
or modular (multiple pressure vessels)
Hull shape:
wide variety dependant upon application
Hull materials:
carbon-fibre, plastics, aluminium
Pressure vessel materials:
glass, stainless steel, titanium
Power:
lead-acid, nickel-cadmium or lithium-ion batteries,
or semi-fuel cells (hydrogen peroxide used on the Hugin).
Buoyancy:
buoyancy chambers and syntactic foam (deep water),
pressure vessels alone for shallow water.
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AUV propulsion
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Electric motors driving propellers are by
far the most common:
Single thrusters on most vehicles
Multiple thrusters required for
hovering (outboard or inboard)
Other systems:
Bio-mimetic systems
(wings, flippers and fins)
Steerable water jets
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AUV navigation and positioning
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Dead-reckoning (range and bearing)
Very basic and very cheap: GPS, compass
and speed sensors. May be all that is
required for some applications.
Doppler velocity logs (DVL)
Provide speed and direction relative to
seabed or to a vessel hull, or underside of
ice, plus altitude using the Doppler shift
between emitted and reflected acoustic
beams.
Inertial navigation systems (INS)
Contain gyro-compass and
accelerometers to produce rates of
rotation and acceleration in three axes
External acoustic positioning – needs a
host vessel or a deployed array
Deep water AUV combine all of the above
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Command and control – REMUS and OceanServer
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Command and Control - Kongsberg
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Mission Planning- SeeByte
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AUV Depth ranges
Source: Hydroid
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Large AUV
Clockwise: Hugin 1000 (Kongsberg), Autosub 6000 (NOC), AUV62F (Saab Underwater
Systems), and Explorer (l), ARCS & Theseus (r) (International Submarine Engineering)
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Large AUV features
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Most are optimised for deep water (1000m and deeper)
Can support large (physically and electrically) payloads with high
specification sensors
Long ranges to minimise non-productive returns (150-300 line km)
Batteries/power recharged in-situ or swapped (4-8 hours)
Supervised via acoustic modem
High specification positioning and navigation
High costs ($1 to 5 million) and high logistics
3-6m in length and 500-5000kg weight
Main players:
Kongsberg (Hugin 1000, 3000, 4500), Hydroid (REMUS
6000/SAMS), ISE (Explorer), Bluefin Robotics (Bluefin 21),
Other players:
Saab (Double Eagle SAROV) and Atlas (Sea Otter), Lockheed
Martin (Marlin), Boeing, BAE Systems (Talisman)
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The middle ground – medium AUV
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Price $250,000 to $1 million
Length 2-3m, weight 50-500kg
High specification positioning and
navigation including tracking
Range 40-150km
Battery module for fast swap
Depth rated to 500-3000m
Can support high specification sensors
Main players:
Bluefin Robotics (Bluefin 9 & 12)
Hydroid (REMUS 600)
Hafmynd (Gavia)
Other players:
Marport (SQX-1)
Atlas Elektronik (SeaWolf A)
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Small AUV
Clockwise: Light AUV (Oceanscan-MST), REMUS 100 (Hydroid),
Folaga (GraalTech), MARES (Ocean Systems Group, University of Porto),
Iver 2 & Ecomapper (Ocean Server & YSI Environmental)
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Small AUV features
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Designed for shallow (100m) waters
Unsupervised during operation
Low payload capacity
Short ranges (20-40 line km)
Basic navigation and positioning
Batteries recharged in-situ or swapped in workshop (5-8 hours)
Can operate at or near the water surface as well as at depth
Up to 2m in length, weight up to 50kg
Low logistical requirements and price ($50-250,000)
Main players:
Hydroid (REMUS 100), iRobot (Ranger), OceanServer (Iver2)
Other players:
Oceanscan-MST, Virginia Institute (Fetch), Univ. of Porto,
Kongsberg (Minesniper Neutron), YSI (EcoMapper)
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AUV use in the military – Dull, dirty and dangerous...
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AUV widely adopted in the worlds navies for
MCM and ASW:
Hugin 1000 for Indian Navy,
REMUS 600 and REMUS 100 for RN
Bluefin 9, 12 and 21 for US Navy
REMUS 100, 600 for US Navy
SeaOtter for German Navy
Advantages of AUV for MCM
Increases distance from threat
Remove need for divers or mammals to identify neutralise mines
Increase speed and “tempo” of operations
Deployable from a wide range of platforms
Able to work in very shallow water and surf
Also used for naval and combat hydrography
REMUS 6000/SAMS for US Navy
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Hybrid AUV/ROV – Saab Double Eagle SAROV
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SAROV package converts from MCM ROV to MCM and REA AUV.
Includes battery pack, navigation, communication and underwater
docking functions
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BAE Systems Talisman
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Talisman M AUV
for MCM, survey and REA
diesel-electric variant
can loiter on seabed
carbon fibre “stealth” hull
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Talisman L AUV
for MCM identification
hosted from Talisman M
or from shore
Archerfish EMDV
hosted from Talisman M
or helicopter
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Hybrid AUV/ROV – WHOI Nereus
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On May 31, 2009, the WHOI Nereus dove to 10,902 meters in the
western Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench. In ROV mode, the vehicle is
controlled via a 40km long, neutrally buoyant FO umbilical, and onboard
batteries power its manipulator.
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Launch and recovery for large AUV...
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L&R systems for large AUV can be complex and take up deck space,
or can utilise conventional ships cranes.
Most AUV are “driven” by the operator via WiFi when on the surface at
deployment or recovery
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Launch and recovery for small AUV
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AUV Key Issues / Summary
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Every vehicle design is a compromise between cost, endurance,
speed, size, depth rating, weight, sensors, autonomy and fitness for
purpose.
Power and endurance: for small AUV, physical limitations of hull size
results in short survey operations or very low power for sensors or
modems.
Recharging and turn-around time: in-situ or swap, field or workshop?
Positioning: high positioning requirements demand high specification
onboard systems, or investment in external positioning using acoustics
Sensors: physical restrictions on the size of acoustic arrays and hence
on range or resolution, as well as restriction on types of sensors used
Launch, Recovery and Logistics: large vehicles need large deployment
platforms, and are difficult to air-freight.
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Gliders
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Gliders
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Evolution of profiling floats
Research, metocean and military applications
Deployment from vessel or submarine (first November 2009)
Propulsion: forward glide, ascent by buoyancy changes (electric/thermal)
Sold in quantity:
6 for IFM-Geomar, 3 in NERC, 4 for NATO NURC,
≈150 have been ordered for the US Navy...
Main players:
Teledyne Webb Research (Slocum Glider)
iRobot (SeaGlider)
Bluefin (Spray Glider)
Other Players:
Liquid Robotics
ACSA
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Gliders – Scarlett Night
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Rutgers University (USA)
Slocum Glider travelled
7,408km
from
New
Jersey to Spain in 2009
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USV – Unmanned Surface Vehicles
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Unmanned Surface Vehicles
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USV are not remotely operated “drones”
They have auto-pilots and station-keeping
Supervised by radio or microwave link
Supervisor can be responsible for multiple
USV
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USV can host sensors directly or towed
USV can act as deployment platforms
Data from sensors can be relayed using
radio
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Positioning is relatively simple
Semi-submersible vehicles very stable.
Main roles are in areas with little other
marine traffic
Put distance between threat and operator
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USV features
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Hull shape:
wide variety dependant upon application – RIB, semi-submersibles,
jet-ski, catamaran, trimaran,
Hull materials:
steel, carbon-fibre, plastics, aluminium
Power:
predominantly diesel or diesel-electric propulsion, though
alternatives now include wind (sails), wave and solar power
Payloads:
Substantial weight, power and space available.
Navigation:
GPS, compass, radar, echo-sounder
Automomy:
Waypoint based navigation (auto-pilot), target identification,
following and avoidance. Rules of the road?
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USV COLREGS
COLREGS Rule 16 demonstration, MIT, NOAA and US Navy, 2005
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Red vessel moving SW is the give way vessel
Yellow vessel is stand-on vessel
Forced collision behaviour results in detour by give way vessel
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Military and Security USV
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Patrol stretches of coastline or waterways
Act as a “force multiplier” for security operations
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Day and night vision equipment, surface radar, gunfire detection
Possibly weaponised (lethal or non-lethal; sonic or water cannon).
Identify, approach, and potentially “detain” a suspect vessel without risk.
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Extend the radar, visual or acoustic sensor range of a command vessel
Provide “over-watch”
Can act as equipment shuttles, or for covert work
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USS Cole, Yemen, 2000
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17 dead and 37 injured
1000lbs of explosive on a speed boat
Rules of engagement kept guards from firing without first
obtaining permission from officers.
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Limburg, Yemen, 2002
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1 dead and 12 injured
Explosives on a dingy
90,000 barrels leaked into the sea
First recorded use of a “fire ship” in Greece, 413BC
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Military and Security USV
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Major players (RIB-Style):
Rafael (Protector),
Aeronautics (SeaStar),
5G Marine (Interceptor).
Other players:
BAE Systems, DCNS, ECA,
Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Atlas
Main players (Semi-submersible):
Lockheed Martin (RMMV),
ISE (Dorado)
Other players:
ASV (SASS Q), DCNS, ECA,
SeaRobotics
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Research USV
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USV have long been used to develop technology and control systems,
but are only now available as COTS products
Main players:
Liquid Robotics (Wave Glider), Maribotics (Scout), SeaRobotics
Other players:
UoP (Springer) and many other academic institution
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Research Profiling from USV
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USV can be fitted with a automated, battery powered winch for CTD or
other profiling.
This was tested on a Maribotics Scout USV (converted kayak)
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Survey USV
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The first USV in service as a survey vehicle
Unmanned semi-submersible 6300 (USS 6300) by Autonomous Surface
Vehicles (UK) for C&C Technologies (USA)
Currently under trials.
Endurance (using diesel) is 96 hours at a survey speed of 4 knots (in sea
state 4) which equates to ≈700 line km.
300kg of sensors can be carried.
USS 6300 equipment spread:
C-Nav Global DGPS
Coda Octopus F180 INS
Real time surface sound velocity
Reson 7125 or Kongsberg 3002 SBS
EdgeTech 2200 MPX SSS(300/600kHz)
Altimeters (downward and upward)
Real time intelligent navigation and processing
payload
Real time video camera with infra-red night
operation
High speed radio telemetry data link
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Search and Recovery USV
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USV proposed for recovery
of swimming sailors
ISE Sarpal project, funded
by Canadian DoD
Dropped from low-flying
aircraft
Concept vehicle was a
drone (R/C from aircraft),
but could use direction
finding or GPS coordinates
from rescue beacons...
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USV and AUV for shallow water operations
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Suitable USV in shallow water
Depends on the task and the situation
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Military and security applications greatly favour USV:
RIB-style USV as a remote investigator or for “overwatch”
Semi-submersible USV for REA, MCM and ASW
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Research using USV has great potential:
USV can relay data to shore in real-time
Be used for routine, repeated data gathering
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USV based hydrography offers:
force multiplication with only minimal personnel
same sensors as for a manned survey launch
semi-submersible USV very stable
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Suitable AUV in shallow water
Again - depends on the task and the situation
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Military applications:
Small and medium AUV for MCM survey and identification
Medium AUV for REA work from vessels or submarines
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Research and environmental monitoring:
Small AUV with good sensors but low-specification positioning
Data can be collected from areas otherwise out of bounds
Small and medium AUV widely used as research platforms
Twin-hull AUV optimal for video and camera work
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Hydrography requires:
Only sensible with medium AUV with high specification
positioning and integrated sensors
Possibly small AUV for dredging estimates?
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Future developments and conclusions
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Future developments
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There are a number of development areas in the AUV world including:
Autonomy for inspection (deepwater Oil & Gas)
Intervention capability and hybrid AUV/ROV (deepwater Oil & Gas)
Adoption of AUV for hydrographic work (shallow and coastal)
Pipeline and cable following (all depths)
Swarming and collaboration between multiple vehicles
Improving underwater communications - Underwater radio
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USV development work is harder to identify but include:
Ongoing trials of the USS 6300 for hydrographic work
COLREGS-level autonomy
USV for security and MCM duties
Wind and solar powered USV.....
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Conclusions
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No solution fits all situations and requirements
Small, low-cost AUV have limitations, but they offer many users the
opportunity to gather data safely and effectively
Medium-sized AUV offer many of the benefits of larger vehicles
Modular AUV decrease turn-around time
Semi-submersible USV offer high levels of stability and large sensor
payloads, with application in the survey, MCM and ASW sectors.
RIB-style USV offer a range of safety benefits for military and security
operations, and increase the effective command and control radius of
vessels and installations.
There are many AUV that have made the transition from academic to
commercial survey success but the field is still wide open for USV
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Competitions
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There are a number of international competitions to stimulate development
of unmanned vehicles
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Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (www.auvsi.org)
Running since 1990 – next June 2010 in USA
2009 event included teams from Japan, Korea, India and USA
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Student Autonomous Underwater Challenge – Europe
(www.nurc.nato/events/sauce10/)
Running since 2006 – next July 2010 (Italy)
2009 entrants: Heriot-Watt (1st), ENSIETA, Bremen, Bath, Limerick,
Sotton, UWE & Cambridge – strong UK presence
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USV - Two events: Sailbot and World Robotic Sailing Championships
2010 event in Canada (www.sailbot.ca/) includes both events
2009 entrants included University of Wales (Aberystwyth)
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Any questions?
Douglas-Westwood Limited
St Andrew's House, Station Road East, Canterbury, CT1 2WD,
Main Office: +44 (0)1227 780999
Direct: +44 (0)1752 665133, Mobile: +44 (0)7703 737492
Email: [email protected]
www.dw-1.com
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