Current progress in the development of a solar powered autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV)

During the past two years, The Institute for Marine Technology Problems RAS, FEB and the Autonomous Undersea Systems Institute have undertaken a joint program to develop a solar-powered autonomous underwater vehicle (SAUV). This paper will describe this effort, the vehicle design, and the results of this effort to date. The vehicle system relies on the availability of solar energy, and its performance depends on the effective utilization of that energy. Various strategies and algorithms to manage the acquired energy were investigated in detail. The results of this analysis and the design of a solar AUV testbed will be described. The vehicle design is greatly impacted by the necessity of integrating the solar array with the vehicle platform. This results in an unconventional vehicle shape which generates some unique dynamics problems. These will be discussed along with the characteristics of the onboard control system.