Rapid development and evolution of a micro-UUV

Traditionally unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs) have been large, complex and expensive. Development of UUVs has been driven by defense and commercial requirements. This has allowed for extensive research and development budgets and long development cycles. This paper briefly discuses these historic drivers and how this situation has changed. It focuses on a new compact affordable UUV. In 2015, several veterans of the conventional UUV sector set out to change the dynamics of the industry, founding Riptide Autonomous Solutions. Riptide's first offering was the micro-UUV, a new, highly flexible, open source autonomous undersea vehicle. The micro-UUV features open hardware and software interfaces giving users a reliable and robust platform to advance technology development. The vehicle design is optimized for high efficiency with the best hydrodynamic signature in its class. The base micro-UUV is 4 7/8 inches in diameter, 40 inches in length and weighs 22 lbs. The standard system is rated to a depth of 300 meters. This paper discuses the technical details of this UUV that make it distinctive and enabled its rapid development. The entire system was taken from design to initial delivery in under 12 months. Flexible and open software interfaces and use of modern three - dimensional design and printing are key enablers of the rapid development. A highly optimized hydrodynamic design improves the speed and endurance of the vehicle, as does its compact size. Reducing control fins from the typical four to three reduces drag and enables active roll control steering, a further enhancement of the micro-UUV's performance. In addition to describing the novel features and approach of the micro-UUV design this paper will discuss the potential for a new aluminum seawater battery to extend the range of this compact vehicle to nearly 1000km.