Hybrid underwater robotic vehicles: the state-of-the-art and future trends

TLDR

Most ocean resources remain unexplored, so underwater robotic vehicles such as ROVs and AUVs have been used for deep‑sea work, and the hybrid underwater robotic vehicle (HURV) merges their advantages to perform tasks in a single deployment. This paper reviews the current state of URV systems, focusing on HURVs, and discusses future trends and potential applications. The authors describe the HURV concept by comparing it to other vehicles, explain its design rationale and operational modes, and present specifications, capabilities, and recent technological advances worldwide, especially in China.

Abstract

Most of the ocean resources, which cover over 70% of the Earth's surface, are not well discovered or explored. For decades, ocean communities have resorted to underwater robotic vehicles (URVs), remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) to replace human beings or manned underwater vehicles (MUVs) on deep underwater activities. Combining the advantages of ROVs and AUVs, a new type of underwater explorer named the hybrid underwater robotic vehicle (HURV) has been developed for both deep-sea exploration and intervention by switching its dual-operation modes for accomplishing underwater tasks during one single cruise deployment. This paper presents an overview of the state-of-the-art URV system, where the HURV system is the main concern. The concept of the HURV is introduced via a comparison with other underwater vehicles, after which the thinking behind the HURV design is examined and the operational procedure of the HURV is described. Subsequently, the specifications and capabilities of typical HURVs worldwide are presented and the latest developments in HURV technology in the Mainland China is explored in detail. Finally, future technology trends and unforeseen potential applications of the HURV system are also discussed.