Underwater robots, also known as remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), are robots designed for extreme underwater operations. Given the harsh and dangerous underwater environment and the limited diving depth of humans, underwater robots have become an important tool for ocean exploration.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of underwater robots?
1. Advantages of underwater robots
Underwater robots can replace humans in highly dangerous, polluted, and zero-visibility waters for extended periods of time. They are typically equipped with sonar systems, cameras, lights, and robotic arms, providing real-time video and sonar images. The robotic arms can lift heavy objects. Underwater robots are widely used in fields such as oil development, maritime law enforcement, scientific research, and the military.
2. Disadvantages of underwater robots
Due to the complex operating environment of underwater robots and the high noise levels in underwater acoustic signals, coupled with the generally poor accuracy and frequent signal jumps of various underwater acoustic sensors, filtering technology is extremely important in the motion control system of underwater robots. The position sensors commonly used in underwater robot motion control are short-baseline or long-baseline underwater acoustic positioning systems, while Doppler velocities can affect the accuracy of the underwater acoustic positioning system. Factors affecting the accuracy include sound velocity error, measurement error of transponder response time, and correction error of transponder position (i.e., spacing). Factors affecting the accuracy of Doppler velocities include the speed of sound (c), the physicochemical properties of the seawater medium, and the turbulence of the vehicle.
Application areas of underwater robots
I. Safety Search and Rescue: 1. Can be used to inspect dams and bridge piers for explosives and assess their structural condition; 2. Remote reconnaissance and close-range inspection of hazardous materials; 3. Assisting in the installation/removal of underwater arrays; 4. Detection of smuggled goods on ship sides and hulls (police, customs); 5. Underwater target observation, search and rescue in ruins and collapsed mines; 6. Search for underwater evidence (police, customs); 7. Maritime rescue and salvage, near-shore search;
II. Pipeline Inspection: 1. Can be used for inspecting water tanks, pipes, and reservoirs in municipal drinking water systems; 2. Sewage/drainage pipelines and sewers; 3. Oil pipelines; 4. Pipelines crossing rivers and streams;
III. Vessel, River, Marine, and Oil Engineering: 1. Hull inspection; underwater anchor, propeller, and hull inspection; 2. Inspection of wharves and wharf foundations, bridges, and underwater sections of dams; 3. Channel clearing and port operations; 4. Drilling platform underwater structure inspection and marine oil engineering.
IV. Scientific Research and Teaching: 1. Observation, research, and teaching of aquatic environment and underwater organisms; 2. Marine expeditions; 3. Under-ice observation;
V. Underwater Entertainment: 1. Underwater television filming and underwater photography; 2. Diving, boating, and yachting; 3. Supervising divers and selecting suitable diving locations before diving.
VI. Energy Industry 1. Nuclear power plant reactor inspection, pipeline inspection, foreign object detection and removal; 2. Hydropower station lock maintenance; 3. Hydropower dam and reservoir dam maintenance (desertification tunnel, trash rack, spillway maintenance);
VII. Archaeology: Underwater archaeology and underwater shipwreck investigation.
VIII. Fisheries: Deep-sea cage aquaculture and artificial reef survey.
The rapid development of artificial intelligence and other high-tech internet technologies has also propelled the underwater robot industry forward by leaps and bounds. Underwater robots have expanded from the initial military market to the civilian and mass entertainment consumer market, with a wide range of applications.
