AUVs: From idea to implementation
Since the 1970s, when early autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) were developed at MIT, Institute scientists have tackled various barriers to robots that can travel autonomously in the deep ocean. This four-part series examines current MIT efforts to refine AUVs’ artificial intelligence, navigation, stability and tenacity.As the search for oil and natural-gas resources moves into deeper and deeper water, companies are facing increasing costs. Building and installing a single offshore drilling platform now costs more than a billion dollars, so companies are using their platforms as efficiently as possible. Advances in technology have enabled them to service several oil fields from a single platform, and much of the infrastructure for well operations has moved to the seafloor, which may be as much as 4,000 meters — almost 2.5 miles — below the surface. As a result, inspecting, servicing and repairing underwater equipment has become an ever-greater challenge.Many companies accomplish those tasks...