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allowing a surface-based team to review, and re-task the vehicle. The system can also oper- ate fully autonomously. While the mechani- cal design of the AUV is interesting, it is the powerful software onboard that is truly in- novative. This vehicle employs feld proven

Artifcial Intelligence (AI) and Simultaneous

Localization and Mapping (SLAM).

This capability has been used in a series of tests and demonstrations in unstructured lab- yrinthine cave environments. SUNFISH was able to autonomously explore this environ- ment, creating a real-time map which it used to navigate through the cave. SUNFISH has explored numerous caves, making a map as it proceeds. The robot was then able to autono- mously fnd its way back to the starting point using the map it had just created.

Throughout these presentations the UUV

Track served to showcase the growing power of software in new uncrewed marine vehicles.

There remains a great deal of room to discuss and defne terms such as autonomy, artif- cial intelligence, machine learning, SLAM, and other terms of art. But regardless of the defnitions the new capabilities coming to all manner of ocean robots are impressive. New hardware and software ideas are driving in- novation and shaping the future of untethered vehicles in the maritime industry. (Credit: Stone Aerospace) www.marinetechnologynews.com

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