auv

An autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is a self-propelled, untethered robotic platform designed to carry out underwater tasks without real-time human control. Before deployment, a complete mission plan is programmed into the vehicle; during the mission it relies on onboard sensors, processors, and navigation to complete objectives and return for recovery.

AUVs vary in size from small micro units to large deep-sea vehicles. They consist of a pressure-resistant hull, propulsion and control systems, energy storage, and payload bays. Onboard sensors may include depth and temperature sensors, sonar (multibeam, sidescan), cameras, chemical or biological sensors, and navigation aids such as inertial measurement units, Doppler velocity logs, and acoustic positioning. GPS is not available underwater, so surface GPS is used only at the end of a mission or prior to deployment; underwater communication is typically limited to brief acoustic links or post-mission data transfer after surfacing.

Operation and mission planning: AUVs are deployed from ships or shore facilities, dive to programmed depths, follow survey patterns (such as grids or transects), collect data or samples, and return to the surface to transmit data or be recovered. They enable work in hazardous or low-visibility environments, deep seas, and areas with limited human access.

Applications: scientific research, bathymetric mapping, environmental monitoring, hydrographic surveying, underwater inspection of infrastructure, and some military uses such as reconnaissance and mine countermeasures.

History and scope: Research into autonomous underwater robotics began in the mid-20th century, with rapid advancement in the 1990s and 2000s. Today AUVs are widely used by universities, research organizations, government agencies, and industry.