Technical library
How underwater autonomy works
22 concise, original guides connect the database to engineering fundamentals and field operations.
What Is an AUV?
A precise introduction to autonomous underwater vehicles, how autonomy changes subsea work, and where the category’s boundaries sit.
How Autonomous Underwater Vehicles Work
A system-level guide to mission planning, propulsion, navigation, autonomy, sensing, recovery and data handling.
AUV vs. ROV
A technical comparison of autonomous underwater vehicles and tethered remotely operated vehicles.
AUV vs. Underwater Drone
How technical AUV terminology differs from the broader consumer phrase “underwater drone.”
Types of AUVs
A practical taxonomy of torpedo-shaped, hovering, glider, long-range and extra-large autonomous underwater vehicles.
AUV Navigation
How INS, DVL, GNSS, acoustic positioning, terrain navigation and uncertainty management work together underwater.
AUV Sonar and Mapping
Side-scan, synthetic-aperture, multibeam and sub-bottom sensing from autonomous platforms.
AUV Communications
Why underwater bandwidth is scarce and how acoustic, optical, radio and satellite links divide the job.
AUV Batteries and Power
How rechargeable batteries, primary cells, fuel cells and hotel loads shape endurance.
AUV Sensors and Payloads
A guide to sonar, cameras, environmental instruments, payload bays and integration constraints.
Deep-Sea AUVs
Engineering considerations for autonomous missions at 3,000 to 6,000 meters.
Long-Endurance AUVs
What makes missions lasting days, weeks or months possible—and how to compare claims responsibly.
Man-Portable AUVs
Operational advantages and limits of compact AUVs deployable by one or two people.
AUVs in Oceanographic Research
How autonomous vehicles collect repeatable physical, chemical, biological and geological observations.
AUVs for Hydrographic Surveying
How close-to-bottom autonomy changes bathymetric coverage, resolution and risk.
AUVs in Offshore Energy
Survey, construction support and asset inspection across offshore wind, oil and gas infrastructure.
Pipeline and Infrastructure Inspection
Autonomous approaches to pipelines, cables and critical subsea infrastructure.
Environmental Monitoring with AUVs
Mobile platforms for water quality, habitats, biological acoustics and long-term ocean observation.
AUVs for Search and Recovery
Planning broad-area searches, detecting targets and converting sonar contacts into evidence.
Mine Countermeasures and Defense AUVs
How autonomous systems support detection, classification and identification while reducing personnel exposure.
Seafloor Mapping with AUVs
From mission lines to positioned bathymetry, imagery and geological interpretation.
Under-Ice Exploration
Why autonomy, navigation and recovery become especially demanding beneath sea ice and ice shelves.