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Nat Geo and OpenROV are giving away 1000 robot submarines
Despite having lived in close proximity to it for hundreds of thousands of years, humanity has yet to explore even a fraction of the Earth's ocean. We have more thoroughly mapped the surfaces of moon and Mars than we have the seafloor. National Geographic and OpenROV hope to change that next year with the Science Exploration Education (SEE) initiative. The organizations are teaming up to give away 1,000 remotely operated underwater drones to any research organization or citizen scientist who wants one (and, obviously, asks while there are still some in stock).
Aquatic drone swarms are coming to a body of water near you
We haven't heard the "Aquabotix" name in awhile, but that doesn't mean the company's been resting on its laurels. The aquatic drone company has been working on SwarmDivers, which as the name suggests, is a cluster of drones that can "function simultaneously as a single coordinated entity, be easily controlled via one operator on the surface, and perform dives on command" according to a press release.
The PowerRay drone is an aquatic spyglass for playboy fishermen
Who needs fishing prowess when you have a remote-controlled, sonar-equipped, bait-dropping, mini-submersible at your disposal? Because with the new PowerRay underwater drone, that's exactly what you get.
DARPA is building acoustic GPS for submarines and UUVs
For all the benefits that the Global Positioning System provides to landlubbers and surface ships, GPS signals can't penetrate seawater and therefore can't be used by oceangoing vehicles like submarines or UUVs. That's why DARPA is creating an acoustic navigation system, dubbed POSYDON (Positioning System for Deep Ocean Navigation), and has awarded the Draper group with its development contract.
France and the UK want a fleet of minesweeping robot ships
The biggest threat to America's Navy over the past 60 years hasn't been China's rapidly modernizing military, North Korea's nuclear saber rattling or even Russia's arctic overtures -- it's been underwater mines. They've damaged 15 of our ships since 1950. Sure, you can disarm these explosive hazards manually but that means risking the lives of Navy seamen in an underwater Hurt Locker. Instead, the UK and France are teaming with European defense contractors Thales and BAE to develop a fully automated minesweeping system that keeps sailors out of harm's way.
DARPA outs unmanned drone-launching sub, piracy suddenly less attractive
UAVs and UUVs may be unmanned, but they still need a ride to the mission area. Cue the Hydra: an undersea troop-carrier that transports drones. Unlike a submarine, this submersible can operate in shallow waters and charge the batteries of its pilot-free payloads as well as transmit collected data. Even more impressive, it can launch its flight-worthy passengers without surfacing. If this sort of thing turns your crank, head over to John's Hopkins University next month to catch a presentation from DARPA. If your security clearance is high enough, you can even snag a special classified meeting after the regular Joes leave.
Talisman M UUV is a mine killer
From robots working in deep space to unmanned underwater vehicles patrolling the deep blue sea: military and aerospace contractor BAE Systems has just announced its latest aquatic bot, the Talisman M, which is capable of locating and killing mines without any operator intervention. The size of a small car, Talisman can operate at depths as low as 150 meters and turn a full 360 degrees thanks to its vectorable thrust pods; although it can be controlled from on board a ship, the M is just as happy wandering around on its own and bringing the pain with its so-called 'Archerfish Single Shot Mine Neutraliser.' Best of all, the British-based BAE engineers have added a little something extra in light of current events: the task-minded UUV will emit a heartfelt apology if it's ever caught encroaching on sovereign Iranian waters.[Via The Register]
