Unmanned Systems

Focus: Unmanned Systems

Unmanned Systems 2017 200 Every month we will focus on a specific theme, featuring a selection of articles which have previously been published in Hydro International magazine. By including a mix of older and more recent articles, we will present a complete recap of the subject. Furthermore, we will be bringing you a bi-weekly round-up of ‘Focus Stories’ related to the theme through our newsletter (sign up here). The theme for July 2017 is:

Hydrography uses them in various ways that we assume to be familiar: Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), ROVs, Maritime Autonomous Systems (MAS), Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs). They serve many applications – the choice of articles may be of inspiration for yours!

You can also read the 2016 Unmanned Systems Special magazine.

Must Read

Can I Communicate With My AUV?

The prospects for an increased future use of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) in the Maritime & Offshore sector are high, mainly due to the search for cost effectiveness. AUVs reduce the need for large crews, divers and vessels in the operational area. AUVs are alre... (read more)

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles

This last year has seen an increase in Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) sales and prospects for new sales. The lower than usual oil price may be responsible for much of that growth. Faced with operating in an increasingly harsh market where cost efficiencies can be the di... (read more)

About the Focus Stories

Every month we will focus on a specific theme, featuring a selection of articles which have previously been published in Hydro International magazine. to present a complete recap of the subject. If you don't want to miss these themed recaps, sign up for the newsletter (sign up here).

Unmanned Systems

Inevitable Truths of Operating AUVs

Earlier this year, the US Navy deployed a Bluefin-21 Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) to search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. The tragic disappearance was thought to have occurred over 1,600 kilometres offshore Perth in a remote and very deep region of the... (read more)

Hydro Dam Inspection by ROVs

The inspection and maintenance of vital resource facilities is an integral part of any regional health and stability management programme. Providing consistent quality output whilst reducing inspection and maintenance costs is key for those involved in the provision of such... (read more)

Much More Than a Typical Hydrographic Office

In October 2015, Capt Brian D. Connon assumed the role of director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s Maritime Safety Office. The organisation is an important, although not always visible, link in the global maritime safety chain. Its work contr... (read more)

Sharing the Wealth

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) and associated undersea technologies have demonstrated exceptional current utility and great growth potential for military, governmental and commercial maritime agencies as well as for ocean research institutions. While sustained and agg... (read more)

How to Save Time in Offshore Survey Operations

In many instances, offshore survey work is carried out in connection with the construction of, for example, pipelines. The operational scenario is often a string of events where one task has to be completed before the next can be started. This article outlines the increased... (read more)

Autonomous Vessel as Enforcer

There are currently 13,764 Marine Protection Areas (MPAs) jointly covering over 2% of the oceans. One such MPA is Malaysia’s newly formed Tun Mustapha Park comprising 1 million hectares of marine park and shark sanctuary in northern Borneo. Governance, management, effe... (read more)

Discovering H.M.S. Ark Royal

In November 1941 the aircraft carrier H.M.S. Ark Royal was returning from Malta, when it was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat southeast of Gibraltar. Its destruction was a devastating blow to the Royal Navy's power in the Mediterranean theatre of war and to the morale o... (read more)

Oceans of Earthquakes

Globally, the proliferation of sensors and resultant explosion of data is growing at exponential rates. Every digital device and sensor is expected to be available day/night to provide instantaneous results. This is possible if sensors are land or space based. This is not th... (read more)

Unmanned Systems

Lessons Learned From the AF447 Search

It was a rainy day at Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA. The scenery reminds me of the Twin Peaks atmosphere. I am about to interview Mike Purcell, the man whose search team finally found the wreckage of flight AF447 in the deep ocean in 2011. Only five years after this tragedy... (read more)

AUVs in Hydrography

The US Navy and the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) are committed to realising the vision that Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) are available, affordable, and can play a critical role for many applications. Working in partnership with NAVOCEANO and the Office of... (read more)

Snow Crab Tracking Using Wave Gliders

Coastal communities around the globe are seeking better ways to understand and manage regional ecosystems. They depend on the ocean to sustain economic opportunities, ensure food security and safeguard fragile environments and species. For harvesters, scientists and governme... (read more)

“We Are Limited by Imagination Rather Than Technology”

Now that the spotlights are on unmanned vehicles for various tasks in subsea survey, inspection and maintenance, it’s interesting to see how two businesses are looking at the technology. In 2016, Kongsberg and the start-up Eelume started their cooperation to develop an... (read more)

Furthering Ocean Science Using Innovative Marine Robotics

Robotics and autonomous systems are championed as one of the UK government’s ‘Eight Great Technologies’. The National Oceanography Centre is committed to maximising this technology to further ocean science and has purchased a fleet of innovative autonomous... (read more)

Mapping the Floor of Upper Loch Linnhe Using AUVs

Due to their particularly shallow and turbulent thermocline, conducting seafloor mapping in lochs, fjords and other estuaries always presents a unique challenge to the hydrographic surveyor. Surface vessels often struggle to obtain accurate measurements due to the highly var... (read more)

USBL in Dam Survey by ROV

An USBL underwater positioning system is the ideal solution for dam survey by ROV, providing easy and fast set-up and accurate 3D measurement for traceability, but not all USBL systems can meet the demands of this environment. PLSM (France) has developed a light and polyvale... (read more)

Mapping a Hyper-acid Crater Lake with a USV

The 2,708m-high Poás Volcano is one of the most active volcanoes in Costa Rica, located 35km northwest of the capital San José. This stratovolcano contains a 300m-wide crater lake called the Laguna Caliente (‘hot lagoon’) filled with naturally hot,... (read more)

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