MBARI began developing unmanned and untethered vehicles, called AUVs (Autonomous Underwater Vehicles) as a way to take the high personnel costs out of scientific sampling of the ocean. These platforms are low cost as compared with ships but can nevertheless be directed as to where, when, and what they sample to full ocean depth. Knowing that there would be demand for diverse payloads, MBARI engineers created a modular vehicle that can be quickly reconfigured to host a number of payloads without modifying basic components such as the propulsion, navigation, power, control, and emergency location systems.
MBARI AUV Project leads:
- Mapping vehicle: David Caress and William Kirkwood
- Docking vehicle: James Bellingham and Brett Hobson
- CTD vehicle: Francisco Chavez and Hans Thomas
- AUV Gulper: Alana Sherman
MBARI Dorado AUVs:
The Dorado class AUV is 21” in diameter and can be as short as 8' or as long as 21', depending on the mission. The first Dorado was operated in late 2001 to measure the inflow of water into the Arctic basin through the Fram Straits, and provides the basic template for MBARI Dorado -class AUVs. Systems currently operational at MBARI include the CTD AUV, in routine operations since 2002; the seafloor mapping AUV, which accomplished its first deep mapping operations in 2006; and the docking AUV, which is being used to support docking development. The core vehicle elements are deep-rated (the Mapping AUV is 6000 m rated) and have been operated as long as 20 hours.
