Harbin Engineering University (HARBIN) has returned to its home port in Qingdao after completing the third stage of deep-sea sea test.The Wukong AUV, developed by the university, reached a maximum underwater depth of 7,709 meters, setting a new record for China's unmanned unteachable submersible.
The AUV is an unmanned, untethered submersible with the advantages of wide operating range, strong maneuverability, low reliance on mother ship, and the ability to operate autonomously in the deepest part of the ocean (11,000 meters).
In 2017, Harbin Engineering University was approved to lead the research on key AUV technologies of the deep-sea unmanned untether vehicle with the support of the "Deep Sea Key Technology and Equipment" project of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China.Li Ye, a professor at the university's School of Naval Engineering, is the project leader and chief scientist.
The project will carry out research on the key directions suitable for the whole deep-sea AUV, such as underwater acoustic communication, single beacon navigation and positioning, water sample/sediment sampling, fixed-point hovering operation, and independent safety decision-making, and develop the integrated verification system for the whole deep-sea AUV.