Underwater Platforms for Chemical Detection

摘要

Chemical detection underwater is playing increasingly important roles for both military and environmental applications. Use of unmanned underwater vehicles as sensor platforms allow extended ranges and greater area coverage with minimal risk to personnel and high-value assets. There are a variety of underwater platform types available including remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), and crawlers. The benefits and tradeoffs of each platform type will be discussed with regard to the specific mission and environments. ROVs are the most mature of the platforms, with a wide range of systems in use in the Fleet and commercially. AUVs are becoming available and will provide extended capabilities in the future. State of the art systems and directions will be presented.