MILNET Brief
  AUV Briefing, Updated 9/17/2006
"Historically, AUV's navigate through the ocean under the assumption the ocean is large and contains few obstacles that will impede the completion of their mission.  They execute scripts that take them from objective to objective."

- Christopher von Alt, Autonomous Underwater Vehicles, Wood Holes Oceanographic Institute, March 24-26, 2003 1

AUVs hold the promise for a magnitude increase in the stealthy or low risk functionality of submarine operations in the underwater environment, from support of submarines themselves, to military underwater mission support such as mine detection and removal, or underwater surveillance, tracking, and even attack.   Thus the import of tracking this vital new area of research in the commercial arena as it sets standards of performance and lends an eye to the future of military uses of AUV based platforms.  This briefing looks at recent developments as well as summarizes key AUV developments in the past, building upon the work found in an earlier MILNET briefing on UUVs

- MILNET

The current state-of-the-art in AUV is best described by a set of questions posed by Christopher von Alt in his very brief paper prepared for the Autonomous Underwater Langrangian Platforms and Sensors Workshop at Wood Holes Oceanographic Institute in March of 2003 1:
"
  1. Does the system inspire confidence?  Is it easy to use and reliable?
  2. Does it provide a complete solution, i.e., mission planning, execution, analysis, and report generation?
  3. Does the vehicle provide access to a variety of sensors?
  4. Is there a safe and reliable means of launching and recovering the system?
  5. Can it be operated from ships of opportunity?"
- Christopher von Alt, WHOI, March, 2003 1
International Submarine Engineering provides an excellent summary of just what IS a state-of-the-art AUV at: http://www.ise.bc.ca/WADEwhatisanAUV.html#start.

In the last decade, the technology improvements were dramatic and in the last two years even more so.  Sophisticated GUI software for mission planning is one of the big improvements, using map applications to aid the mission planner, and high resolution graphics for notating surface view and underwater features ensure better statistical chances for mission success.  These improvements also enable fast time-to-water and begin-mission times in all of commercial, academic, and military missions.

Ion cell batteries as well as solar powered applications provide higher power capability and longer loiter for missions, as well as mothership multi-vehicle systems to be deployed.  The U.S. Navy's Naval Postgraduate School is experimenting with overhead UAV communicating with just under surface UUV which serve as comms and navigation servers to surface, aerial or under surface vessels.  These designs could also give way to mothership designs which allow other UUVs to dock with the SAUV in order to recharge and conserve station keeping ability without depleting battery power needed for the next mission. 
Advances in communications abilities make some surface areas of AUVs/UUVs look like high-tech communication arrays, with sporty looking antenna sprouting.  The idea enables satellite Ethernet communications for updates of mission to the AUV or upload of undersea conditions, navigational features or hazards which can then be relayed to other AUV on the surface.

And of course GPS antenna blisters allow the AUV to correct its navigational database with less than a few meters accuracy when on surface, or allow the mothership to relay via acoustic modem its position, presumably using differential GPS to keep the under surface vessels up to date as well.

Important to the military planner and analyst is the fact that nearly every nation is experimenting with AUVs, most with very large military budgets and some antagonistic to western allies. As Robert Wernli of SPAWAR said in his analysis of the technology in 2003,

"Today at least 12 countries either have significant AUV developments ongoing (Table 1), or they are purchasing an initial capability."

The following table looks at AUV which remain in the public view and which are operating as active research subjects in the AUV arena. We have also included several key vehicles that serve as research milestones that follow-on research make use of -- clearly being foundation technology. Obviously military organizations may have funding to experiment with these vehicles under classified wrap, we have little input on those vehicles.  However, U.S. DoD reports of the uses of AUV for mine clearing during the Gulf conflicts clearly indicate the Defense Department's interest if not active use of AUV's already. And of course the NAVY's focus is not limited to the NPS -- SPAWAR is seen occasionally as professors and students alike publish declassified work.

The visitor may also wish to look at the MILNET UUV Briefing, which covers other more military oriented UUV, but which also, for completeness mentions a number of academic and commercial applications.


A Survey of AUVs
AUV Designation
 Builder
 Operational Description
 Q1
 Q2
 Q3
 Q4
 Q5
ABE
Autonomous Benthic Explorer

 WHOI
 650kg displacement vehicle operating for up to 36 hours at depths down to 5km
YES
WHOI has been using ABE for years and trains new staff easily which includes oceanographers who may not be technically inclined indicating at a minimum that the systems are intuitive to non-technical savvy.
 ?
YES
ABE provides a number of standard sensor loads and is easy to upgrade when configuring new sensors.  Current experience includes:
Paroscientific pressure sensor, rated to ≥4,500 m; Attitude sensors (pitch, roll, heading)
Geophysical sensors: SIMRAD SM2000 200 kHz multibeam sonar, rated to 3,000 m; Imagenex 675kHz scanning sonar, rated to ≥4,500 m; 3- component Develco fluxgate magnetometer, rated to ≥4,500 m; Oceanographic sensors:
2 sets of conductivity, temperature sensors, SeaBird models SBE3 & SBE4, rated to ≥4,500 m; SeaPoint optical backscatter sensor (OBS) rated to ≥4,500 m; Seafloor photography:
a 1024 x 1024 pixel 12-bit digital still camera, rated to ≥4,500 m;
Project- specific sensors: interfaced to ABE by PIs during recent cruises:  Eh electrode (redox sensor) – Dr.Koichi Nakamura, Japan;
Fe(II) and Mn sensors – Prof Chris German, SOC, United Kingdom
YES
Required is deck space for a 20 foot container aboard ship, deck area for the vehicle in its cradle (3 m long, 2 m wide), and a shipboard crane able to lift the vehicle (550 kg) into and out of the water at launch and recovery.
YES
All that is needed is deck space and crane, and some time to train crane operator.  Comms equipment is readily portable.
ARIES
Acoustic Radio Interactive Exploratory Server



 Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA
 490 lbs, 10" depth, 20" high, 120' long,
Intended as a comms and navigation server vehicle as part of networked AUV/UAV /ROV  vehicles.
 ?
 ?
 YES
Uses acoustic doppler and mounts a video camera.  Other sensors may be installable.  Uses acoustic ground locked doppler, IMU, Compass, computer controlled dead reckoning,  and GPS correction while on surface.  Also makes used of Blazed Array Sonar (pg.3)  for obstacle avoidance in water.
 YES
Weight is 490 lbs, easily handled by ship deck equipment.  Device is semi self righting and once programmed on deck can be launched by carefully hoisting into water. May be launchable via inflatable.
 YES
AUSS (Advanced Unmanned Search System
 Naval Ocean System Center (SPAWAR), 1973-1990s
 907kg displacement AUV used to search for subs and weapons on the ocean floor, with some 114 dives with depths down to 6km.  Used with multiple free swimming vehicles to improve overall search performance and reporting ability
NO
AUSS was difficult to use but operators eventually mastered the vehicles idiosyncrasies providing for a fairly reliable undersea vehicle
YES
However report generation data was raw requiring manual manipulation of data.
YES
both operational data metrics as well as a video link
YES
Ship tendered lift off the deck into the ocean
NO
Required  specially equipped ships with support installation, however installation time might have been possible during transit to target location area.
AutoSub

 South Hampton Oceanographic Center
Late 1990s
 Displaced 1700 kg, and dove to depths as low as 1.6 km and for up to 50 hours (Deepest was 1.0km, and a totaled some 271 missions)
 ?
 ?
YES
Seatex MRU 6 attitude sensor for magnetic heading, pitch and roll. Digiquartz 430 kT 700 bar pressure sensor for depth data. Simrad Mesotech 808 echo sounder with 300 meter range for altitude information and collision avoidance. Seabird SBE9 CTD and RDI ADCP.  Bottom or ceiling tracking using doppler log from 150 kHz ADCP with 500 m range. Inertial navigation system provides navigational accuracy of 0.2 per cent of distance traveled.  a variety of commercial and tailor-made packages can be fitted including a fluorometer, transmissometer, oxygen sensor, in situ manganese sensor, flow cytometer, 50 x 0.5 litre water sampler, turbulence probe, additional ADCPs, upward-looking sonars, sidescan sonars, swath bathymetry and digital cameras
YES
Cradle drop with temporary tethers which are then released. May require divers to release drop cables.
NO
Cradle and drop cable setup requires training and installation on support vessel.  Can be accomplished but opportunity may have passed
AUV-1
 Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA





Bluefin
9,12,21, 21-BP



 Bluefin Robotics
 Various Designs offering 9 to 21 degree nose and matching hulls with articulating tailcone on many models
YES
Programming suite and software as well as operations can occur on laptop. 
Intuitive SW interfaces
YES
Both realtime data metrics and logging ensure rapid analysis of mission, plus simulation suite for  both pre-and post-mission analysis. High level intuitive programming.  Fast on-deck turnaround, no pressure vessel unsealing. Intuitive SW interfaces and onboard data synchronization  makes mission planning and post-mission data-recovery easier
YES
Datametrics, side-scan radar, external navigational capability
YES
Line or Crane for hook insertion.
Multiple AUVs per support vessel reduces overall ship time.
YES
Any ship with hold crane/lines, UW comms gear is highly mobile
CETUS™
Composite Endoskeleton Testbed Untethered Underwater Vehicle System - Mine Countermeasures

 MIT AUV Lab/
Lockheed Martin

100-150kg displacement
AUV or ROV (tethered) operation,
"...passively stable, easily controlled, and capable of hovering".  Depths from 200m to > 4000m (Titanium hull)
Cruise: 1.5 to 2 knots, max = 5 knots
Range: 20-40 km.
 ?
 ?
 ?
 ?
 ?
Epulard
(Epulaurd?)
 		IFREMER
1970-1990
 6km rated vehicle performing bathymetric surveys and photography, completing some 300 dives.
 ?
 ?
 ?
 ?
 ?
Explorer

 		ISE
Current "off-the-shelf"
Design base for commercial application
 Variable sized designs with hulls capable of down to 6km in depth,
 YES
 YES
YES
A variety of sensors can be configured, including multi-beam "swath" sonar, side-scan sonar, sub-bottom profiler, and.Conductivity Temperature and Depth (CTD) sensor
 YES
 YES
Hugin 3000

 		Kongsberg Simrad of Norway, 2000.
Offered for lease by C&C Technologies,
Lafayette, LA.
 Displaced 1400kg and can operate at depths down to 3km.  4 knots at up to 40 hours
YES
Programming requires planning however it is a high level language supported operation and state-of-the-art programming experience
YES
Online (WEB) interactive monitoring of charts being generated by the support ship
 YES
YES
Presuming you have lift-to-water equipment, Hugin is semi self-righting and easy to launch.
YES
Takes a little time, as it r
Requires installation aboard tender vessel including data metric receiver, storage, and lift-to-water equipment.
Kambera

 Australian National University
(Numerous Thesis on the vehicle and operation)
 Battery powered sister to Oberon from Univ of Syndey
 ?
 ?
 ?
 ?
 ?
Micro Seeker

NanoSeeker



 Hylands Underwater Vehicles,
Ontario, Canada
 Very small AUV, with the eventual product, NanoSeeker at 6 inches long and 1/4"  in diameter.  It is not clear if there is any actual purpose other than baseline research in micro AUVs.
 ?
 ?
 ?
 ?
 ?
Oberon


 University of Sydney
 Structurally similar to Kambera built by ANU but tethered via 100V powered cable
 ?
 ?
 ?
 ?
Appears small enough to be launched from small boat, however tether requirement probably requires larger vessel (cable reel would be large for the depths required)
 ?
Requires tether receiver on board support vessel
Ocean Explorer

 Florida Atlantic University and
Harbor Branch Engineering

 Weighing 1800 lbs (in air) and some 14 in in diameter, this is a medium- large AUV.  Displaces about 2700 lbs and has a maximum depth of 500 ft.
 ?
SW is VxWorks, a techie SW package that requires well trained programmers to debug its realtime system.  Incorporates a 3 axis fuzzy logic control system.  HW is VME based and developers use UNIX workstations.
 YES
High fidelity, hardware-in-the-loop simulation of the Ocean Voyager which runs on a Silcon Graphics Inc. (SGI) Indigo/Elan work station. Modifications of the existing simulation is performed when a new payload or capability has been added to the vehicle. Simulated runs are then conducted to verify performance and stability.
 YES
KVH fluxgate compass for heading, Shevits inclinometers for pitch and roll, Watson rate sensors for pitch, roll and yaw rate, Precision Instruments depth sensor and Mesotech altimeter. Navigation system: Kearfott ring laser gyro (RLG), and an EDO Doppler speed log. COMMS: Serial port for a monitor, serial communications link through RF or acoustic modems  and etherlink.  RF video link for obstacle avoidance/location verification
YES
Little more than sling or crane on most hard decked ships will be required to hoist the device into the water.  No special power or COMMs requirements
 YES
Assuming the ship of opportunity has the necessary rigging to hoist and recover the device to/from the water.
However, on deck programming may be problematic unless the UNIX workstation can be replaced with laptop(s).
Ocean Voyager


 Florida Atlantic University/
University of Southern Florida
Since 1994
?
 ?
 ?
 ?
 ?
ODIN
(Omni-Directional Intelligent Navigator)

 University of Hawaii at Manoa
Current updates, August, 2006
 Intent is to develop a Semi- Autonomous Underwater Vehicle for Intervention Missions (SAUVIM) for depths down to 6km.
High pressure hull is under initial design, based upon balance and testing of interim aluminum low pressure shallow depth hulls.
 ?
Uses VxWorks for the development environment.   This is a complex, real-time operating system with requiring sophisticated, highly trained software specialists.  However, end-user systems may be tailored to less technically oriented.
 ?
 YES
Measures water depth, temperature, conductivity, computed salinity, dissolved oxygen, magnetic signature of the seafloor, pH and turgidity during the survey mode. In the intervention mode, the MSP also provides compositional parameters at a selected seafloor target, including pumped samples from submarine seeps or vents
 ?
Appears quite large in this incarnation.  No info on specifications for final version.
 ?
Odyssey/
Xanthos



 MIT Sea Grant, 1990s-?
Some funding from ONR (Odyssey II)
 Six vehicles displacing 160kg and operating at depths up to 6km or at up to 6 hours at 1.5km on battery power in specific underwater locations or 3 hrs at 1.4km in open ocean
SPEC
 ?
 ?
YES
600 khz Side scan sonar and 1.3 mpixel (1280X960) video camera system plus GPS buoy support for up to 1 meter navigational accuracy
(Early units focused on single sensors)
 YES
Appears to require at a minimum a ship's crane found on most oceanographic research vessels however the device only weighs 441 lbs (221 kg), easily handled by a small fishing trawler.  Semi self-righting, the device, once programmed on board is ready to go when it hits the water
 YES
hoisting into water should not require much training and the weight required means just about any cargo or research vessel can be used.
REMUS



WHOI-REMUS


NPS-REMUS

Hydroid Inc
WHOI,
LEO-15 Lab at Tuckertown, N.J.; and
Naval Post Graduate Center, Monterey, CA; and
Hydroid Inc.
 Displacement of 36kg, operated at depths down to 100 m for up to 20 hrs.  Currently over 50 REMUS based vehicles in universities all over the world as well as three U.S. Navy labs, at least one in the British defense laboratory and three branches of the U.S. Navy.  Original funding from NSF and NOAA
NPS Studies using REMUS include:  supports technology development for bottom mapping, feature detection, feature based navigation, and mine neutralization technologies.  NPS is also integrating UAVs in aerial, surface and UW server experiments for comms and navigation
YES
Initial programming task requires time and planning, however the device is predictable and reliable
YES
REMUS is reputed to log feedback data for its navigational system allowing for post operational analysis of its performance.  Simulation software in use by some users aids in pre- planning and post-operational performance analysis.
YES
Applications vary dramatically and are indicative of the ability to load a variety of sensors from acoustic to environmental.  Navigation can be quite sophisticated, for instance look at the Navy Postgraduate School's slide on "Feature Based Navigation".
YES
Simply lift the device into the water, i.e. a sling lowering it to the water.  Semi self- righting and easy to prepare for launch.
YES
Conceivably REMUS could be torpedo tube launched as well however no public data on this capability.  Any ship with deck hoist will do, Comms are fairly portable.
Robot R1


 University of Tokyo/ Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding
 Project to develop an autonomous underwater free swimming robot equipped with a Closed Cycle Diesel Engine (CCDE) for long term survey of mid-ocean ridges. 
Len: 8.2m, Diam:1.1m.
Wgt (in Air): 4 ton
Depth: 400m
Max Spd: 3.6 knots




Serafina, MkII



 Australian National Univeristy
 450mm long, 100mm diameter hull
with 5 variable swing propuslor pods
YES
Initital programming task requires time and planning, however the device is predictable and reliable.  Intuitive SW Interfaces 		YES
YES
Std. package is oceanographic-grade CTD package.
Fluorometers and optical backscatter sensors also available.
YES
Easily launched from inflatable or small boat.
 YES
SAUV
(Solar-powered AUV (MILNET mirror)

 Autonomous Underwater Systems Insitute (AUSI), Lee, New Hampshire
 Uses Solar Cells on top while majority of AUV is submerged, providing for a constant solar recharge while the AUV acts as a mothership (docking, recharging, comms, nav) for other sub- surface vessels. 5 and  other long endurance missions at sea.  Research is ongoing.
 ?
 ?
 ?
 YES
Sling hoisted onto surface of water, semi self-righting, fully programmed on deck before hoist.
 YES
SPRAY
(Glider)

 Bluefin Robotics
 52 kilogram glider designed for water column analysis in ocean or litorals
YES
Highly intuitive SW interface
 ?
 ?
YES
Low weight and size means the device can be launched from a small boat or inflatable.  Fully programmed on deck, portable comms for recall?
 YES
SPURV
 U of W Applied Physics Lab, late 1960s
 First "true" AUV at 480 kg displ., operating at 5.5 hours at depths down to 3km.  Use for CT measurements alongi isobaric lines as well as horizontal and vertical diffusion with dye markers. SPURV II used to study dispersion of submarine wakes.  Total SPURV deployments in the 400 dive range.
 ?
 ?
 ?
 ?
 ?
Slocum Glider

 Webb Research Corp.

 52kg in weight, the glider is easily hand launched.  Len: 1.5m, Diam: 21.3cm.
2 Models: 100-200m and 1000m depth.  Endurance: at 0.4 m/sec (1.44km/hr) intermittent duty cycle= 30 days , Max Rng: 1500km
 ?
 ?
 YES
Conductivity, Temperature, Depth plus GPS, and internal dead reckoning, altimeter for NAV and RF modem, Iridium satellite, ARGOS, Telesonar modem for COMMS.  Also includes a PINGER for emergency recovery operations if the batteries fail.
YES
Hand launchable from any boat or inflatable
 YES
THESEUS

 		U.S. and Canadian Defense establishments
1990s
 Large AUV intended to lay long lines of fiber optic cable underwater  In 1996 it laid a 190km fiber optic cable  under a 2.5km thick ice layer at 500m depth.  The overall mission was 350 km in distance.  Device is 35 feet and 10" in diameter, and displacing 8600 kg (very large and heavy) Rng: 425 nm, Spd: 4 knots, Depth: 1km (3281 ft)
 ?
 ?
YES
Honeywell MAPS 726 inertial navigation unit  with EDO 3050 doppler sonar (for transit)
ORE LXT low frequency acoustic homing (for terminal)
Sonatech STA-013-1 forward-looking sonar (for obstacle avoidance) 		SOMEWHAT
Very large size requires heavy load hoist equipment (line or crane), usually requires divers in the water  On board storage of 220km of fiber optic cable may require addtional spools for reload in order for fast deck turnaround and laying of longer segments..
 NO
Size of cradle on deck prohibits easy transfer to smaller research vessels. .









Obviously the table above is a "work-in-progress" and will be filled in over time, however, this initial pass should provide valuable information on the topic.

Additional Information:

 See the links provided on devices and institutions for additional information on these and other projects.  Also, see the following two link pages ripped off from the cited sources:


See the MILNET Briefing on UUVs for further information along the lines of military uses of AUVs (UUVs).

Sources:

  1. Autonomous Underwater Vehicles, Christopher von Alt, Wood's Hole Oceanographic Institute, March, 2003
  2. Autonomous Underwater Vehicles, University of Maine Computer Science Department,  last modified 08/06/2003
  3. AUV Resources on the Web, Naval Postgradute School, last modified 09/07/1999
  4. MILNET: UUV Briefing, 01/26/2005
  5. The Development of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles, D. Richard Blidberg, Autonomous Underwater Systems Institute, 12/17/2002 (MILNET Mirror)
  6. AUVs-The Maturity of the Technology, Robert L. Wernli, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center San Diego, 12/14/2000 (MILNET Mirror)
  7. Solar Powered Autonomous Underwater Vehicles, James Jalbert, et al, Autonomous Underwater Systems Institute, research 1998 (MILNET mirror)
  8. Results of the Evaluation and Testing of the Solar Powered AUV and its Subsystems, Richard Blidberg, et al, FAU, August, 1999 (MILNET Mirror)



© Copyright 2006, Michael G. Crawford for MILNET