Beach and near-shore crawling UUV for oceanographic measurements

This paper gives an overview of the design and operational details of a Beach and Seabed Crawler UUV (Unmanned Underwater Vehicle) constructed to make oceanographic measurements in tidal shore environments. Currently, there is no established way of rapidly collecting data in near-shore and surf zone environments. The ability to move instruments quickly to a series of known locations within a single tidal cycle (7 or 13 hours), and to accurately repeat/return to known locations on a shore, hugely increases the value of such oceanographic measurements. To meet this need, a twin-tracked crawling vehicle with a range of standard vehicle and oceanographic instruments has been constructed. The vehicle was recently used in Portugal as part of the two month fieldwork programme of the INDIA (Inlet Dynamics Initiative Algarve) project. The focus of INDIA is the oceanographic study of a small, tidal, highly dynamic, multiple-inlet system in southern Portugal, and includes partners from the UK, France, Netherlands, Portugal, USA, Australia, Korea, and Poland. This paper describes the electrical and mechanical features of the crawler, and the measurements taken as part of the fieldwork trials.