{"id":578771,"date":"2024-04-21T08:30:31","date_gmt":"2024-04-21T12:30:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.therobotreport.com\/?p=578771"},"modified":"2024-04-20T21:03:37","modified_gmt":"2024-04-21T01:03:37","slug":"advanced-navigations-hydrus-explores-shipwrecks-indian-ocean","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.therobotreport.com\/advanced-navigations-hydrus-explores-shipwrecks-indian-ocean\/","title":{"rendered":"Advanced Navigation’s Hydrus explores shipwrecks in the Indian Ocean"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Advanced<\/a>

Advanced Navigation’s Hydrus micro autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) deployed. | Source: Advanced Navigation<\/p><\/div>\n

Advanced Navigation is bringing humans closer to the ocean with Hydrus, a relatively small underwater drone. The company recently sent Hydrus to the depths of the Rottnest ship graveyard, located in the Indian Ocean and just off the coast of Western Australia. <\/p>\n

The Sydney, Australia-based developer<\/a> of AI robotics and navigation technology said that upon seeing the gathered data, the team discovered a 210-ft. (64-m) shipwreck scattered across the sea floor. This means the wreck was more than twice the size of a blue whale. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve found through all of our testing that Hydrus is very reliable, and it will complete its mission and come to the surface or come to its designated return point,” Alec McGregor<\/a>, Advanced Navigation’s photogrammetry specialist, told The Robot Report<\/a>.<\/em> “And then you can just scoop it up with a net from the side of the boat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Robot can brave the ocean’s unexplored depths<\/h2>\n

Humans have only explored and charted 24% of the ocean, according to Advanced Navigation. The unexplored parts are home to more than 3 million undiscovered shipwrecks, and 1,819 recorded wrecks are lying off Western Australia’s shore alone.<\/p>\n

These shipwrecks can hold keys to our understanding of past culture, history, and science, said the company<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Rottnest graveyard is a particularly dense area for these abandoned ships. Beginning in the 1900s, the area became a burial ground for ships, naval vessels, aircraft, and secretive submarines. A majority of these wrecks haven’t been discovered because the depth ranges from 164 to 656 ft. (50 to 200 m). <\/p>\n

Traditionally, there are two ways of gathering information from the deep sea, explained McGregor. The first is divers, who have to be specially trained to reach the depths Advanced Navigation is interested in studying. <\/p>\n

“Some of the wrecks that we\u2019ve been looking at are in very deep water, so 60 m [196.8 ft.] for this particular wreck, which is outside of the recreational diving limit,” McGregor said. “So, you actually have to go into tech diving.”<\/p>\n

“And when you go deeper with all of this extra equipment, it tends to just increase the risks associated with going to depth,” he said. “So, you need to have special training, you need to have support vessels, and you also have to be down in the water for a long period of time.”<\/p>\n

The second option is to use remotely operated vehicles (ROVs<\/a>) or autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs<\/a>). While this method doesn’t involve putting people at risk, it can still be expensive. <\/p>\n

\u201cSome of the drawbacks with using traditional methods include having to have big support vessels,” McGregor said. “And getting the actual ROVs in and out of the water sometimes requires a crane, whereas with the Hydrus, you can just chuck it off the side of the boat.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“So, with Hydrus, you\u2019re able to reduce the costs of operation,” he added. “You\u2019re also able to get underwater data super easily and super quickly by just chucking a Hydrus off the boat. It can be operated with one person.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n