AUVs:
RESOURCES
This section has some useful resources for further reading. Since this webpage isn't intended aimed at AUV experts (who in all likelihood have access to resources I don't even know about), I have purposely avoided including anything that requires a high level of knowledge in either science or engineering. Thus, unless they are specifically listed under IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS, these resources are all suitable for an introductory level. I have also tried to provide a variety of resources in different formats and from different time periods.
A note about journal articles: I'm a big believer in making research publicly available and accessible (hence this website). Unfortunately, while the majority of researchers I know agree with this, we haven't quite achieved this standard yet. Fortunately, there's a pretty neat site called ResearchGate [1] where you can download or request copies of journal articles directly from the author(s). I haven't been turned down yet (knock on wood), so it's worth a try if you can't access the article you're looking for without hitting a paywall.
FUN STUFF
BUILD YOUR OWN AUV
Girona Underwater Vision and Robotics. (2014). "SPARUS II AUV".
The University of Girona (Spain), who developed the Sparus II, a lightweight, hover-capable AUV, has created a paper design that you can use to make your own 3D paper model!
IMPORTANT NOTE: I STRONGLY suggest printing out the pieces much larger (the default size fits all of the pieces on one sheet of paper). If you need convincing, see my attempt below, which was printed on a single sheet of 8.5" x 11" paper (and is also missing some pieces).
Template: https://cirs.udg.edu/auvs-technology/auvs/sparus-ii-auv/ Instructions: https://cirs.udg.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/instructions1.jpg
(The real) SPARUS II [1]
(My attempted model of) SPARUS II
THE SLOCUM MISSION
Stommel, H. (1989). The Slocum Mission.
Oceanography. 22-25.
Henry Stommel, who is the inspiration for the naming of this website, wrote a short (and futuristic/visionary) narrative where he imagines himself in the year 2021, relaxing in the country and thinking back on the development of a co-ordinated network of Slocum gliders (see MARINE ROBOTIC VEHICLES for more about gliders) that monitor the climate. It is extremely imaginative, with hand-sketched illustrations, and I highly recommend it. Some of my favourite quotations from this story include:
"There is nothing like the need to make decisions to lay bare areas of ignorance that are papered over in textbooks."
"The projects that I have always liked best are the ones conceived on the spur of the moment by an inquisitive individual."
"We have found, over the years, that the payoff in increase of knowledge often is greatest the more unconventional the idea, especially when it conflicts with collective wisdom."
GENERAL INFORMATION
AUVAC: AUV APPLICATIONS CENTER
AUVAC: Autonomous Undersea Vehicle Applications Center. (2020).
This website has an excellent searchable database providing information on most AUVs. Calling themselves "The Ultimate AUV Community Resource", they post AUV news, workshops, and other useful resources. This is one of the best web resources for global information on AUVs.
Link: https://auvac.org
A BRIEF TAXONOMY OF AUV DESIGN LITERATURE
Alam, K., Ray, T., & Anavatti, S. G. (2014). A brief taxonomy of autonomous underwater vehicle design literature. Ocean Engineering. 88, 627-630.
This is a fairly recent review of various types of AUVs. It touches on most of the important topics and avoids using excessive jargon.
ResearchGate link:
HAVE ROBOT, WILL TRAVEL
Bellingham, J. G. (2014). Have robot, will travel. Methods in Oceanography, 10, 5-20.
A leader in the AUV field reminisces about his experiences, writing that his work has...
ResearchGate link:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268692970_Have_robot_will_travel
If this doesn't convince you, I'm not sure what will.
"...proven immensely gratifying; there are very few other enterprises that offer a similar combination of interesting people, tough intellectual problems, opportunity to work in the most remote and beautiful parts of the planet, and the satisfaction of contributing to an important endeavor."
@JGBellingham
THE DEVELOPMENT OF AUVS; A BRIEF SUMMARY
Blidberg, D. R. (2001). The Development of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV); A Brief Summary. IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA). Seoul, Korea, 21-26 May 2001.
This white paper provides a short chronology of AUV development up to 2000. It's a little outdated, but it summarizes the technological advances quite nicely. Plus, it's always interesting to see future projections of technological advances.
AUV COMMERCIALIZATION - WHO'S LEADING THE PACK?
Wernli, R. L. (2000). AUV Commercialization - Who's Leading the Pack? OCEANS 2000 MTS/IEEE Conference and Exhibition. Providence, Rhode Island. 11-14 September 2000.
Although also a bit outdated (2000), this is an interesting read as it attempts to answer the questions,
"Are AUVs ready for commercialization? Have they been successful? Who's leading the pack? Who's buying - military, offshore, academia?"
AUVs AND SCIENCE: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE
Wynn, R. B. (2014). Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs): Their past, present and future contributions to the advancement of marine geoscience. Marine Geology, 352, 451-468.
This paper provides a succinct and modern horizon scan on specific scientific uses for AUVs, including the exploration of submarine volcanoes, hydrothermal vents, and seabed ecosystems.
While there are a number of reviews on this topic, this is one of the best I've found.
REFERENCES
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ResearchGate GmbH. (2020). Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/
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Girona Underwater Vision and Robotics. (2014). "SPARUS II AUV". Retrieved from http://cirs.udg.edu/auvs-technology/auvs/sparus-ii-auv/
Last revised: April 27, 2020