Underwater robots, also known as Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs), are extreme operation robots that operate beneath the surface. The underwater environment is harsh and dangerous, with limited human diving depths. Therefore, underwater robots have become an essential tool for ocean exploration.
The rapid development of internet high-tech, such as artificial intelligence, has also propelled the remarkable advancement of the underwater robot industry. The market for underwater robots has expanded from its initial stages to include civil and mass entertainment consumer sectors, with a wide range of applications.
Application of Underwater Robots
Safety and Rescue: 1. Inspections for explosive devices and structural integrity on dams and bridge piers; 2. Remote reconnaissance and proximity checks for hazardous materials; 3. Underwater array assistance for installation and removal; 4. Shipside and hull item detection; 5. Observation of underwater targets, search and rescue in ruins and collapsed mines; 6. Search for underwater evidence; 7. Marine rescue and recovery, offshore searches.
Pipeline Inspection: 1. Suitable for checking water tanks, water pipes, and reservoirs in municipal drinking water systems; 2. Sewerage/drainage and flood control pipelines, as well as sewers; 3. Ocean oil pipelines; 4. River-crossing and river-crossing pipelines.
3. Ship River & Ocean Petroleum Services
1. Ship inspection and repair; underwater anchor, propeller, and hull surveys;
2. Inspection of wharf and pile foundations, bridges, and underwater sections of dams;
3. Navigation channel obstruction removal and port operations;
4. Underwater structure maintenance of drilling platforms and marine oil engineering.
Four: Research and Education: 1. Observation, research, and teaching on water environments and underwater organisms; 2. Marine surveys; 3. Sub-glacial observations.
Five. Underwater Entertainment: 1. Underwater TV filming, underwater photography; 2. Scuba diving, boating, yachting; 3. Supervising divers, selecting appropriate dive sites before diving.
6. Energy Industry
1. Nuclear power plant reactor inspections, pipeline inspections, foreign object detection and removal;
2. Hydroelectric power plant lock gate maintenance;
3. Hydroelectric dam and reservoir embankment maintenance (silt outlet, trash rack, spillway maintenance).
Archaeology: Underwater archaeology, exploration of sunken ships.
8. Aquaculture: Deep-water cage fish farming, artificial reef surveys.
The unmanned and untethered submersible is currently in the research and trial phase, with some key technical issues yet to be resolved. The unmanned and untethered submersible is set to evolve towards remote and intelligent operations, with an operational range of 250 to 5,000 kilometers. This necessitates a power source capable of ensuring long-duration operations. In the control and information processing systems, image recognition, artificial intelligence technology, a large capacity knowledge base system, and enhanced information processing capabilities, as well as precise navigation and positioning with situational awareness, are employed. If these issues can be addressed, the unmanned and untethered submersible will truly become an oceanic intelligent robot. The emergence and widespread use of oceanic intelligent robots provide technological assurance for humans to engage in various marine industrial activities.
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