ロボティクスによる深海底観測の自動化の将来展望

抄録

Seafloor information obtained from sea surface is limited, and direct access using underwater robots is necessary to investigate the deep seafloor in detail. Furthermore, the measurement range in deep-sea is limited due to attenuation of light and electromagnetic waves, so the area that can be observed at one time is limited. Therefore, automation of deep seafloor observation using Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) is essential to cover a vast area of the ocean. AUVs have been becoming a powerful tool in deep seafloor observation, such as resource survey, scientific survey, and searching for sunken ship. Unmanned survey operation, further expansion of the survey range of the AUV itself, and diversification of missions will be important keywords for further development of AUVs and accelerating the automation of deep seafloor observation. In this paper, the author will present the current situation and prospects of automation of deep seafloor observation using robots centered around AUVs, and report on the development of the 8000m-class Urashima 8000 and automatic data collection from a seafloor-based observation device using an AUV.