Survey on the Developments of Unmanned Marine Vehicles: Intelligence and Cooperation

Abstract

With the recent development of artificial intelligence (AI) and information and communication technology, manned vehicles operated by humans used on the ground, air, and sea are evolving into unmanned vehicles (UVs) that operate without human intervention. In particular, unmanned marine vehicles (UMVs), including unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) and unmanned surface vehicles (USVs), have the potential to complete maritime tasks that are unachievable for manned vehicles, lower the risk of man power, raise the power required to carry out military missions, and reap huge economic benefits. The aim of this review is to identify past and current trends in UMV development and present insights into future UMV development. The review discusses the potential benefits of UMVs, including completing maritime tasks that are unachievable for manned vehicles, lowering the risk of human intervention, and increasing power for military missions and economic benefits. However, the development of UMVs has been relatively tardy compared to that of UVs used on the ground and in the air due to adverse environments for UMV operation. This review highlights the challenges in developing UMVs, particularly in adverse environments, and the need for continued advancements in communication and networking technologies, navigation and sound exploration technologies, and multivehicle mission planning technologies to improve UMV cooperation and intelligence. Furthermore, the review identifies the importance of incorporating AI and machine learning technologies in UMVs to enhance their autonomy and ability to perform complex tasks. Overall, this review provides insights into the current state and future directions for UMV development.

Advancing Sustainable Marine Exploration: Highly Efficient Photonic Radar for Underwater Navigation Systems under the Impact of Different Salinity Levels

“…The vastness of the world's oceans and the increasing demand for underwater activities highlight the integral role of navigation beneath the waves [1,2]. Submarines, autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) are vital for marine exploration, scientific research, and defense operations [3][4][5]. The growth of underseas infrastructure further emphasizes the need for accurate underwater navigation systems [6][7][8].…”

A Terrain-Following Control Method for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles with Single-Beam Sensor Configuration

“…Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), as a kind of exploring equipment that could dive several hundred meters to conduct research activities without operators, play an increasingly important role in the marine development domain [1]. With the development of artificial intelligence technology and manufacturing technology, AUVs have transformed from semi-intelligent, huge and heavy equipment with economic shortcomings to highly autonomous, small and flexible tools with relatively low cost, which makes it more reliable and easier to conduct ocean research activities [2][3][4].…”

Design and Implementation of a Low-Cost Intelligent Unmanned Surface Vehicle

“…There are plenty of benefits of making surface vehicles unmanned such as shipping flexibility, reducing costs and minimizing the impact, limitation and cost of human operators [2]. Unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) have been involved in military, research and commercial applications, including surveillance, data collection and sea, surface and space communication hubs [3][4][5][6].…”