The Pentagon's Advanced Defense Development Agency (DARPA) has signed a contract with Northrop Grumman Systems and Martin Defense to create a full-scale demonstrator of the underwater robot Manta Ray. The military wants this robot to be able to work in the ocean for a long time without maintenance and repair.
Most underwater robots cannot stay underwater for a long time without a permanent cable connection to the ship. The duration of their missions depends on the capacity of the onboard batteries. The faster the underwater vehicles move and the more equipment they use, the more they discharge.
Some underwater robots are still capable of long missions. For example, the Russian Glider 2.0 can operate autonomously for up to nine months. He is able to move economically due to underwater planning at a speed of up to one kilometer per hour.
DARPA last year launched the Manta Ray program to create a new type of autonomous uninhabited underwater vehicle for long missions. The military did not specify the exact characteristics of the robot. It should be able to work in the ocean for a long time without maintenance and carry a payload. During the first phase of the project, the Agency for Advanced Defense Development was engaged in preliminary testing of approaches to energy supply, navigation and corrosion control.
At the end of December, the second stage of the Manta Ray project started: DARPA signed a contract with Northrop Grumman Systems and Martin Defense to test the main systems and create a full-scale underwater robot demonstrator. The agency also published a 3D video showing how Manta Ray will work. On it, the robot glides directly over the ocean floor, probably receiving energy due to underwater currents. At some point, the device releases a payload, which apparently allows data to be collected, and then the load is returned back to the device.
Marine robots are not only underwater — there are surface and even hybrid robots among them. You can read about their main classes in our material "Ships without a captain" .
Vasilisa Chernyavtseva
