DEPTHX (Deep Phreatic Thermal Explorer) is a fully autonomous hovering AUV. It has a depth rating of 1,000 m and an operating duration of 8 hours. In addition to the ability to accomplish complicated 3D maneuvering, station keeping, obstacle avoidance, and proximity operations that include wall-following and stand-off operations, DEPTHX is equipped with a dual navigation system consisting of a high grade dead-reckoning module and a full, real-time implementation of 3D SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping). The latter capability is novel allows the vehicle to build dense, true 3D maps of unexplored locations where external navigation aiding is unavailable. The vehicle is able to geometrically localize itself as it builds the 3D map and to thence return home on its own maps. The vehicle was extensively tested in 2007 in hydrothermal springs in northern Mexico where it ultimately, and autonomously, both explored and mapped the previously unexplored 335 m deep cenote Zacaton, but also autonomously collected water and wall core samples at those depths. The vehicle is currently being re-designed for sub-ice operations in Antarctica's Taylor dry valley at Lake Bonney and will assume the new name of ENDURANCE.
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