On September 19, at Jinshitan, Dalian, on an 80-square-meter operational platform approximately 300 meters from the coast, the 2020 National Underwater Robot Competition’s autonomous grabbing group was held. The underwater robot from Dalian University of Technology’s OurEDA team showcased its capabilities by capturing 11 “prey”.
According to Zhang Wanhui, the team leader of the OurEDA team and an engineer at the Underwater Intelligent Robot Laboratory of Dalian University of Technology, this underwater robot is equipped with a dual-camera system that can provide clear images even in murky water, effectively assisting in underwater grabbing. It also features underwater intelligent algorithms that enable fully autonomous grabbing. The Underwater Robot Boom – A Trend of the Times In recent years, with the continuous development of China’s aquaculture industry, the harvesting methods in marine ranches still primarily rely on traditional manual diving operations. During harvest season, the labor-intensive work of divers not only has a high physical demand, low production efficiency, and high harvesting costs, but prolonged underwater operations can also pose certain occupational hazards to divers. Therefore, the adoption of underwater robots for seafood harvesting and the promotion of the intelligence and industrialization of marine ranches has become an inevitable trend. Underwater robots will also play a significant role in pipeline cleaning. Due to uneven population distribution in China, urban pipelines face issues such as blockages and aging. Utilizing underwater robots for pipeline inspections can accurately locate sections that need repairs, avoiding large-scale excavation and reinstallation, thus saving significant manpower and time while ensuring the normal operation of urban traffic. In the consumer entertainment sector, underwater robots also have a broad market. With the rise of diving sports, the number of people holding diving certificates in China has reached 150 million, and more individuals are becoming interested in deep-water activities. This has created opportunities in the consumer market, such as aquariums, amusement parks, and science museums, which require underwater robots to monitor water environments and provide real-time feedback to prevent drowning and accidents. In the personal consumer sector, small underwater robots can also be used for underwater photography and are easy to carry. Underwater Robots and Instrumentation In fact, underwater robots are closely related to our instrumentation industry. For example, commonly seen remotely operated vehicles consist of surface equipment and underwater equipment. The surface equipment includes control consoles, cable winches, deployment equipment, and power supply systems, while the underwater equipment includes repeaters and the vehicle body. The underwater robot moves using thrusters and is equipped with observation devices such as cameras, lights, and other operational tools like mechanical arms, cutters, and cleaners. The underwater movement and operations of the robot are controlled and monitored by operators on the surface. Power and information exchange are provided to the robot body via cables. Repeaters can reduce the interference of cables on the robot’s movement. Currently, more and more underwater robots are evolving from simple remote control to monitoring systems, where a mothership computer and the vehicle’s onboard computer implement hierarchical control. This allows for processing observational information and establishing environmental and internal state models. Operators issue commands through a human-machine interaction system using abstract symbols or language, receiving processed information from the computer to monitor the underwater robot’s operations and troubleshoot issues. Intelligent underwater robot systems enable operators to issue general tasks, allowing the robot to autonomously plan actions, avoid obstacles, and complete designated tasks based on environmental recognition and analysis. Future Development Trends 1. Persistent Endurance Currently, although underwater robots have gained widespread attention, there are still factors hindering their development, with energy and remote navigation being the most pressing issues. Various energy systems under research include primary batteries, secondary batteries, fuel cells, thermal engines, and nuclear energy. The development of solar-powered autonomous underwater robots is a notable advancement, as these robots need to surface to recharge their onboard energy systems, utilizing an infinite energy source. It is well known that the ocean area deeper than 6000 meters accounts for 97% of the total ocean area. Therefore, many countries have set the development of technology for depths of 6000 meters as a goal. According to reports, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in the United States has developed a deep-sea exploration vehicle called “ABE” that can remain at the bottom at a depth of 6000 meters for a year. Japan developed an unmanned deep-sea vehicle called “Kaiko” capable of operating at depths of 11000 meters in 1993. 2. Intelligence as the Ultimate Goal It is important to note that increasing the intelligence level of underwater robot behavior has always been a goal for scientists worldwide. However, current artificial intelligence technologies do not meet the needs for enhancing underwater robot intelligence. Therefore, it is necessary to incorporate human intelligence into underwater robots, leading to the concept of monitoring-type underwater robots. This approach does not rely solely on machine intelligence but rather emphasizes the use of sensors and human intelligence, marking a significant development direction for the future. Additionally, developing multi-robot collaborative control technology is also crucial for enhancing the intelligence of autonomous underwater robots. While underwater robots may seem distant from our daily lives, it is believed that they will soon become commonplace in the public eye.