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WHAT IS IT?
An autonomous underwater payload delivery system for the nearshore environment based on a small Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV).
HOW DOES IT WORK?
AUVs, by nature need to be neutrally buoyant to operate. Many payloads, on the other hand, need negative buoyancy in order to stay in place once deployed. We developed a system that uses a vacuum to hold an external payload section to the AUV. Opening a valve releases this vacuum which allows the payload to be deployed while at the same time compensating for the excess buoyancy the AUV would otherwise have once the heavy payload is deployed.
WHAT WILL IT ACCOMPLISH?
Autonomously deploy a payload in the littoral zone. The system is, in principle agnostic to the type of payload; however, we aim to demonstrate the deployment of a sensor capable of monitoring the acoustic environment. Once data has been collected, we will retrieve the data from said sensor via underwater optical communication. Alternatively, the data can be sent to a land-based receiver via a moored surface antenna
The latest generation of AUVs are compact and extremely capable in terms of navigational accuracy and data collection, e.g., high-resolution sonar data. However, until now, they lack the capability of delivering payloads. We have developed a payload deployment mechanism which, via the simple operation of a valve, releases a payload, while at the same time compensating for the potentially negative buoyancy of the cargo. This is imperative for the deployment of payloads from AUVs since these vehicles need to maintain neutral buoyancy throughout their missions. The mechanically simple mechanism is reliable and scalable to larger payloads. With this new capability for AUVs, we have demonstrated the deployment of a sensor payload. The sensor (hydrophone) can monitor the acoustic signals from boat traffic or other activities in the nearshore environment or a harbor. Data retrieval from the deployed sensor will be via high bandwidth optical underwater communication using the delivery vehicle as a data mule. This means the vehicle will return to the coordinates of the deployment, establish an optical link with the sensor, download the data and then return to the operator carrying the retrieved information in onboard storage. In addition to the payload delivery system and demonstration of an example sensor payload, we are developing a compact 360°LIDAR system. This system will be used to acquire high-resolution images of the AUV’s environment and aid in the identification of a suitable deployment location.
Research Challenges and Opportunities:
Payload deployment from underwater vehicles while maintaining neutral buoyancy.
Covert sensor delivery to and data retrieval from a nearshore or harbor environment.
IVER-3 AUV with deployable external payload
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