A series of tests conducted on July 30, 2024, by ecoSUB in deep water with the ecoSUBm25-Science autonomous underwatervehicle (AUV) exceeded expectations and managed to descend to a depth of 2,000 meters, successfully completing a vertical water column profiling mission in Madeira, Portugal.
The success of the ecoSUBm25-Science mission
Developed as part of the ecoSUBm series, the 12 kg vehicle is designed for operation down to a depth of 2,500 meters. Unlike other AUVs designed for great depths, which tend to be expensive and large in size, the ecoSUB offers an affordable alternative, allowing the scientific community access to advanced technologies for ocean data collection technologies.
In addition, it is equipped with a CTD sensor and a TriLux sensor from Chelsea Technologies, the ecoSUBm25-Science collected vital data on conductivity, temperature, chlorophyll, turbidity and phycoerythrin in the deep water off Madeira. In addition, the platform is designed to accommodate other sensors that can measure dissolved oxygen, CDOM, pH and oil in water, as well as use advanced navigation technology.
Technical tests of the AUV. Source: ecoSUB Robotics
The mission lasted 1 hour and 40 minutes and was conducted from the“Observatoio 1“, a research vessel provided by the Oceanic Observatory of Madeira. The launch and recovery of the AUV was carried out with a minimum separation of 125 meters between the start and end points, demonstrating the accuracy of the system in maintaining a controlled vertical trajectory.
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Source and photo: ecoSUBm