Fuzhou Dayu Achieves Cable-Free Control of Underwater Robots Using Ultrasonic Technology
In today's rapidly advancing technology, underwater robots are being used more and more widely. Underwater robots generally consist of a frame and buoyancy system, propulsion system, navigation control system, detection system, and launch and recovery system. Some departments also equip the robots with manipulators. The underwater environment is harsh and dangerous, and human diving depth is limited, so underwater robots have become an important tool for ocean development. Unmanned remotely operated vehicles mainly come in two types: tethered remotely operated vehicles and untethered remotely operated vehicles.
To address the issue of operators not being able to see the underwater scene during underwater operations, researchers have equipped the robots with underwater cameras, which transmit images directly to the operator's eyes via an underwater cable. The operator then controls the robot based on the live underwater images. Inside this video-signal cable, there is usually a power cable that provides continuous electricity to the underwater robot, enabling it to complete detection tasks successfully. However, due to the distance limitations of the cable, the robot's range of movement is greatly restricted—the working radius of a tethered remotely operated vehicle is less than 400 meters—and the cable can also become entangled around the robot, posing a safety risk during operations. As the difficulty of underwater detection operations continues to increase, a new type of untethered underwater robot has emerged.
Currently, most underwater robots are tethered, which is very inconvenient in practical use. We will cooperate with underwater robot equipment manufacturers to use ultrasonic technology for underwater robot positioning, communication, and image transmission, while also achieving cable-free control of underwater robots. On April 8, Fuzhou Dayu used underwater acoustic communication equipped with an underwater camera robot to facilitate cable-free control, and engineers conducted tests at Dengyun Reservoir in Fuzhou!
