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Underwater Technology

Underwater Technology

The Underwater Technology Research Group is an interdisciplinary team at the forefront of marine autonomy, specializing in applied research that enhances the capabilities of underwater robotic systems. The group focuses on enabling robust autonomous operations in harsh subsea environments characterized by low visibility, high dynamic disturbance, and the absence of GPS. By integrating expertise in robotics, perception, simulation, and systems engineering, the group develops novel methods for environmental understanding, autonomous navigation, and decision-making under uncertainty.

Underwater Technology

The Underwater Technology Research Group is an interdisciplinary team at the forefront of marine autonomy, specializing in applied research that enhances the capabilities of underwater robotic systems. The group focuses on enabling robust autonomous operations in harsh subsea environments characterized by low visibility, high dynamic disturbance, and the absence of GPS. By integrating expertise in robotics, perception, simulation, and systems engineering, the group develops novel methods for environmental understanding, autonomous navigation, and decision-making under uncertainty.

This research group is aligned with the following UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Facilities

Test Pool

  • Dimensions: 7.5 × 3.6 × 1.5 m
  • Equipped with an underwater positioning system
  • Suitable for testing both underwater robots and surface vessels

Small Indoor Test Pool

  • Dimensions: 3 × 2 × 1 m
  • Features:
    • Adjustable lighting, turbulence, and salinity
    • Gantry positioning system for precise placement of objects and sensors
  • Primarily used for sensor evaluation and calibration

Available Vehicles

  • 3× BlueROV2 (modular underwater robots for research and prototyping)
  • 1× BlueBoat (surface vessel for hybrid collaboration)
  • Additional small and specialized underwater vehicles

Sensor Suite

  • Hyperspectral camera
  • High-frequency sonar
  • RGB cameras (mono and stereo)
  • Doppler Velocity Log (DVL)
  • Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU)
  • Fiber-optic gyroscope
  • Ultra Short Baseline (USBL) positioning system
  • Acoustic communication equipment

Additional Resources

  • Access to larger robots and extended testing facilities through collaborations with partner companies and ports

Participation in Education

The Underwater Technology Research Group plays an active role in higher education by supervising student projects and delivering specialized teaching at both undergraduate and graduate levels. At the bachelor level, the group contributes to the BSc in Energy and Applied Industrial Electronics through courses such as Fundamental Control Theory, Offshore Technology and Hydraulics, and Cyber-Physical Systems.

At the master level, they teach and supervise within the MSc programs in Offshore Energy Systems. Courses cover a broad range of advanced topics including System Identification and Diagnosis, Probabilistic Robotics and Multibody Systems. This strong educational engagement reflects the group’s dedication to training future engineers and researchers in cutting-edge technologies.

Latest Publications

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