In the near future, autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) could play a key role in detecting and classifying munitions in the sea. GEOMAR scientists have taken a significant step towards this goal by successfully demonstrating the capabilities of truly autonomous routines developed during the SAM project. AUVs typically operate on pre-programmed missions. Within the SAM project, AUVs are equipped with routines that enable the vehicle to react to in-situ (magnetic) measurements and design new waypoints and entire mission patterns – entirely autonomously.
Reliably testing and evaluating these approaches requires extremely well-controlled conditions, using known objects (real or surrogate) at known locations. The NATO Science and Technology Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation in La Spezia, Italy, provides such a setting and thus allowed MMinE-SwEEPER to address its objective C.1 of testing new technologies under real conditions in a dedicated artificial test site, supporting the development and validation of new methodologies and equipment. This scientific research and experimentation facility conducts research and technology development focused on the maritime domain to address the defence and security needs of NATO. Aside from non-hazardous clutter objects such as fire extinguishers and synthetic magnetic dipoles, the planted UXO objects were selected to cover a wide range of calibres, from 40 mm to 155 mm projectiles.
The test site is divided into two areas: The Calibration Area, where demonstrators have access to all information about the planted objects and their precise locations, and the Blind Area, where demonstrators can participate in a scoring competition without prior knowledge of the planted objects.
Two GEOMAR AUVs were involved during the survey in La Spezia, both manufactured by the Spanish company Iqua Robotics. The Girona 500 AUV Luise is equipped with magnetometers and a camera system, while the Sparus II AUV Albert is fitted with forward-looking and side-scan sonar. The Sparus II AUV was used to further develop GEOMAR’s acoustic techniques for detecting submerged munitions, while AUV Luise was deployed to map UXO using magnetic and photographic sensors in an entirely autonomous manner.
During GEOMAR's demonstration at the CMRE UXO proving ground, AUV Luise accumulated approximately 22 hours of operation time while travelling a total of almost 40 km. We anticipate that the processing and analysis of all acquired data will be completed by the summer of 2025. However, a preliminary review of the results clearly indicates that the smart routines of SAM reliably detected and located all UXO objects in the Calibration Area as projected.
Photo credits of news tile: CMRE
