Current researches on underwater robotics in Korea

Inherent to its geographical location, Korea has long been interested in the ocean. As for underwater robotics, several vehicles have been made in Korea since the 1980s. Towards the 21/sup st/ century, the Korean government has established a basic plan for ocean development and preservation named by Ocean Korea 21. The plan contains various R&D programs for ocean environment measurement, ocean resources exploitation and ocean space utilization, in which a variety of underwater vehicles is involved. This paper introduces previous, present and future research on underwater robotic vehicles in Korea.