AUVs as research vessels: the pros and cons

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Traditional ocean going research vessels have advanced considerably over the last century. However, as marine sampling platforms they suffer from some major shortcomings related to their large size and surface restriction. Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are small unmanned submarines which have emerged over the past ten years as alternative platforms. Currently, there are over 75 AUVs either under development or in operation in the offshore industries of mineral exploration, in the military, and in applied and academic oceanographic science. This paper reviews the application of AUVs to marine research. Compared to traditional research vessel platforms, AUVs are able to sample previously impenetrable environments such as the sea surface, the deep sea and under sea ice. Furthermore, AUVs are typically small, very quiet, and have the potential to operate at low cost and be unconstrained by the vagaries of weather. Examples of how these traits may be utilised in marine science are given with reference to previous work and to potential future applications. However, before many of the more prospective applications can be accomplished, advances in AUV power source technology are required to increase the range of operation. The paper reviews current power sources for AUVs and examines other developments which will overcome many of the limitations currently inhibiting the wider application of AUVs for gathering data in marine science.