Autonomous underwater vehicles for ocean research: Current needs and state of the art technologies

Research in the field of scientific Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) has been underway for over three decades. Much of the original work was funded by the military, and the vehicles were intended for Naval Ordnance Systems Command oceanographic needs, although the payloads were for general scientific use. Over the last decade, several autonomous underwater vehicles have been purposes built for both the science community and industrial operations around the world. Because of the variety of mission requirements, AUV configurations and options available today are numerous. Beginning with a brief overview of the history of AUVs for science, the paper continues with discussion of the ocean applications that are suitable to AUVs. Highlighted are some points a potential user might consider when selecting an AUV for a particular science application. An overview of several AUVs available today has been included exploring the cross-section of capabilities offered. This leads into the emerging requirements for AUVs of the future. In conclusion, some insight is given on lessons learned by several members of the oceanographc AUV community and how these lessons might be applicable when considering AUVs as a solution to today's intriguing oceanographic science questions.