Autonomous boat defies the waves
A boat whose bulk is underwater – with only a narrow element jutting above surface – is largely unaffected by the swell of the sea.
The vehicle was conceived as a ‘wave piercing’ craft to provide a stable platform for underwater surveying. It can easily be made small and autonomous, and run at a fraction of the cost of a conventional work boat – and an even smaller fraction of an unmanned underwater vehicle.
It has been proven as a working prototype and is about to be used commercially as a survey tool. If ever built large enough, it could form the basis of ferry craft that could transport passengers with very little risk of inducing sea sickness.
The craft, developed by a team at Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASV) in Chichester, moves about under robotic control – either pre-programmed or remote – and undertakes surveying and observing tasks largely unaffected by waves.
Technical director Daniel Hook, told Eureka during the recent Unmanned Underwater Vehicle Showcase: “We are looking at boat replacement. It is powered by the same type of diesel engine, uses the same type of sonar to do surveying and GPS for navigation, but comes at a fraction of the cost. It is also exceptionally stable.”
A longer article on this technology appears in the November issue of Eureka.
