An autonomous underwater vehicle as an imaging platform

The autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) offers enormous potential as a platform for sonar equipment requiring a high level of stability. The vehicles can be made to cruise close to the sea-bed allowing the use of high frequency systems, and allowing increased definition. The vehicle independence from surface support vessels allows missions to be performed regardless of sea-state conditions and with a minimum user intervention. The use of AUV docking stations allow virtually continuous surveying to be performed by one or more vehicles, supplied by a single support vessel. This potentially allows larger underwater areas to be surveyed in shorter time periods with fewer costly support vessels. A major limitation of the system is the power supply, which is supplied from batteries and is therefore limited. A system being developed at Loughborough aims to eventually integrate synthetic aperture sonar techniques into an AUV after initial testing using an automated remotely operated vehicle.