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Solar-Powered Autonomous Underwater Vehicles

Posted by timothy on from the seanet dept.

sunhou writes "A couple of months ago, researchers tested a solar-powered autonomous underwater vehicle (SAUV) at RPI's Darrin Fresh Water Institute. (More pictures and links to info available at the Autonomous Undersea Systems Institute.) Current autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) need to be taken out of the water often to have their batteries recharged. The goal is to have groups of cooperating SAUVs loaded with sensors and networking equipment deployed on long-term monitoring missions. Watch out Sky-Net, here comes Sea-Net! (See also the recent story about The Argo Project.)"

14 of 102 comments (clear)

  1. Perhaps someone should tell them by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    That it's dark underwater.

    1. Re:Perhaps someone should tell them by Capt'n+Hector · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Just as dolphins and whales need to go to the surface once in a while to breathe, this thing probably can dive deep, but needs to surface every once in a while to recharge.

      --
      Quid festinatio swallonis est aetherfuga inonusti?
      Africus aut Europaeus?
    2. Re:Perhaps someone should tell them by 4-D4Y · · Score: 3, Funny

      It would be economically beneficial to mine the ocean floor. It may be more useful to have mining vehicles transduce heat from their surroundings into electricity. This would give mankind incentive to destroy otherwise prisitine deep sea vents.

      --
      A-Day
  2. There missions must not go very deep. by andywebz · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I guess all of their missions and exploration will be very close to the surface. Unless there is some underwater solar energy source I'm unaware of.

    --
    Saying "I'll probably get modded down for this", is a magnet for my -1 mod token. I hate to disappoint.
  3. All jokes aside by Icarus1919 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    All jokes aside about it being dark underwater, this is going to be very helpful for research in large bodies of water. They can put a UAV with sensors and movement devices in say the Pacific and monitor the surface areas for long periods of time without ever needing to go back and "fill 'er up". We'll be able to monitor pollution levels, surface temperatures, ocean currents, all sorts of things much more efficiently.

    1. Re:All jokes aside by mark-t · · Score: 3, Funny
      Actually, This person is.

      (Mod -3 off-topic, overrated, troll)

      --
      File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
  4. Drug Smugglers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    So just how long will it be till Columbian drug smugglers use autonmous vehicles to bring over loads of cocaine? Sounds like an easy way for them to get loads through without worrying about people getting busted if they are caught.

  5. Autonomous? by TooMuchEspressoGuy · · Score: 4, Funny
    "Current autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) need to be taken out of the water often to have their batteries recharged."

    Well, then they're not exactly autonomous, are they?

    --
    Many Bothans died to bring you this sig.
  6. Nuclear Energy! by eln · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I think for long-term underwater exploration, nuclear is the most practical way to go. A nuclear power source can last indefinitely underwater (depending on how much fuel you have) and is not dependent on the weather if and when it does surface.

  7. Not to mention... by wasted · · Score: 3, Informative

    ..the difficulty with radio transmissions. The article mentions networking to transmit the data. If underwater networking was easy, the US Navy wouldn't have used ELF (Extremely Low Frequency) systems to control their submarines.

  8. The really cool auv by Camel+Pilot · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Imagine an auv that collects its energy from plankton? It is great idea and I would like to patent it but I think there may be some prior art on this idea. :(

  9. Uh-oh by Dekks · · Score: 3, Funny

    Just don't let captain Murphy get his hands on it...

  10. buoyancy power! by linoleo · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Why bother with solar panels and propellers? A buoyancy glider powered from temperature gradients is far more efficient. And you can use it where the sun don't shine, even off-planet.

    --
    Be faithful to your obsessions. Identify them and be faithful to them, let them guide you like a sleepwalker. JG Ballard
  11. Catching these by wooby · · Score: 3, Funny

    I can see nerds getting involved in the outdoors once again, bringing a whole new meaning to "phishing" - rigging up Zodiacs with networked fishfinder arrays and catching for themselves the latest in autonomous underwater robot technology.

    Hell, I'd steal one.

    I could slap Linux on it, make its hostname a Douglas Adams character, and brag on a mailing list somewhere.