Potential of autonomous underwater vehicles as new generation ocean data platforms

Abstract

This article introduces the reader to a new generation of ocean data platforms known as Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (or AUVs) brought about by promising technology developments in new sensors, memories, embedded controllers and materials. There has been a growing interest by oil and gas exploration industry in using deep water AUVs to map bathymetry around an oil well head, by the navy in mine surveillance or intelligence gathering, and abundant activity by the scientific and engineering communities scattered in several dozen universities and research establishments around the globe in building their own versions of AUVs for scientific data collection. In order to demystify the notion that AUVs are complex, high technology devices, we include a description of the main building blocks that go into the design of an AUV. This is followed by a brief look at the current scenario in AUV developments, but narrowing our attention to three noteworthy operational AUVs, and to our on-going development of a small AUV at the National Institute of Oceanography, Goa. The ultimate aim in AUV research and development is to reach the stage of unescorted missions that will see AUVs leaving and entering the world’s harbours autonomously or doing the same from the shore. We shall see that this implies the implementation of safety standards of a high degree in a stable, well-tested and reliable vehicle architecture.