TURTLE – Systems and technologies for Deep Ocean long term presence Hugo Ferreira3,4, Alfredo Martins4,5, José Miguel Almeida4,5, António Valente6, António Figueiredo1, Batista da Cruz1, Maurício Camilo2, Victor Lobo2, Carlos Pinho4, Augustin Olivier4, Eduardo Silva4,5 1A Silva Matos – Metalomecanica S.A. 2CINAV (Portuguese Navy Research Center) 3ESEIG – School of Industrial Studies and Management, Porto Polytechnic Institute 4INESC TEC - Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering of Porto 5ISEP - School of Engineering, Porto Polytechnic Institute 6PLY Technologies (Engineering) {hugo.a.ferreira, alfredo.martins, jose.m.almeida, cpinho, aolivier, eduardo.silva}@inesctec.pt, {antonio valente}@ply.pt, {antoniofigueiredo, batistadacruz}@asilvamatos.pt, {mauricio.camilo, sousa.lobo}@marinha.pt Abstract – This paper describes the TURTLE project that Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV). These systems aim to develop sub-systems with the capability of deep-sea have found increased applications with emphasis on Mine long-term presence. Our motivation is to produce new robotic Countermeasures Operations in the military applications or in ascend and descend energy efficient technologies to be bathymetric surveying or oceanographic data gathering in incorporated in robotic vehicles used by civil and military civilian oriented tasks. stakeholders for underwater operations. TURTLE contribute This project will provide added value by developing new to the sustainable presence and operations in the sea bottom. structures, processes and systems allowing higher efficiency in Long term presence on sea bottom, increased awareness and autonomous and semi-autonomous operation on the ocean operation capabilities in underwater sea and in particular on floor. It will allow for lower transport and reduced logistics for benthic deeps can only be achieved through the use of cargo deployment and retrieval (energy efficiency) between advanced technologies, leading to automation of operation, surface and ocean floor. This is achieved through the coupling reducing operational costs and increasing efficiency of human of 3 key elements: new structural lightweight materials for activity. pressure vessel and immersed mechanical structures, versatile and high efficiency methods for surface-bottom transport (taking advantage of variable buoyancy systems and I. INTRODUCTION controlled deformable structures) and advanced control and Over the past decades, the underwater operations in deep guidance algorithms. sea are an attractive topic in the robotics community. However, most of the work related with deep ocean robotic TURTLE aim to develop a robotic benthic lander with operations is conducted by a few academic institutions, and autonomous capability of re-positioning and multiple ascend the oil and gas industry. and descend cycles without the need for human intervention. A benefit is that its efficiency capabilities will allow it to Current operations at full ocean depth are carried out by break through the barrier of UUV (Unmanned Underwater dedicated systems and for the most part with the use of ROVs Vehicles) long duration missions. Take in account that in (Remotely Operated Vehicles) operated from a support ship. nowadays economy people are starting to realize that this new These systems allow teleoperation on the bottom of the sea generation of ocean robots can often do what ships do at a and are used in a variety of tasks, from work and assembly in fraction of the operation cost. the offshore oil sector to inspection or information retrieval for TURTLE is envisioned to be a system with no need for wide range of activities. mooring chains or umbilical cables. Its wireless characteristic Longer term moored instrumentation is often deployed is a major benefit in scenarios with crowded surface and mainly for information gathering either scientific data subsea systems. High traffic marine waterways or offshore oil collection or defence related information (such as monitoring and gas industry scenarios with drilling rigs and drilling ships, human activity on the sea for instance by acoustic signal geological survey vessels, floating production off-loading and monitoring). In addition, survey and mobile data gathering is storage units (FPSOs), crane and heavy lift vessels, shuttle performed, not only by surface driven methods such as ships tankers, cable and pipeline layers, and multipurpose vessels or submerged two-fish systems, but more recently by [1]. Underwater operational environments with work-class 978-1-4799-4918-2/14/$31.00 ©2014 IEEE operating ROVs, unmanned crawlers, dredging and drilling JASON ROV from WHOI, Quest4000 from MARUM, Venom vehicles, cable laying remote operated vehicles are scenarios from SMD, Ventana from MBARI, or the Portuguese LUSO were the TURTLE lander prototype cable-free capability is an ROV from the Mission Structure for the Extension of the important asset. Fig. 1 presents a scenario – Deepwater Continental Shelf. Horizon disaster – were mobility and ship operations were C. Autonomous Underwater Vehicle confined to different distance radius. Numerous worldwide research and development II. DEEP SEA TECHNOLOGIES - SEAFLOOR LANDERS activities have occurred in underwater robotics, especially in The oceans bottom are the single largest geographic the area of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). This feature in our Planet that, not only need to be mapped, but vehicles are commonly used for seafloor mapping, underwater explored. The general rise in resource materials procurement object searching, and pipeline tracking/inspections. Compared will increase the exploration of deep sea deposits. This will to ROVs the AUVs have more autonomous decision boost the need for marine technologies, with crucial economic capabilities and are un-tethered vehicles, but on the other and scientific role, for deep sea inspection and exploration hand, they have low operational capabilities to physically tasks. interact with deep sea structures/platforms. Deep sea technologies, such as, Remotely Operated Vehicles as the Bluefin21 from Bluefin Robotics, which Vehicle (ROV) and Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) was used in April 2014 for the search of the Malaysian Airline systems are utilized, in the oil and gas industry, for underwater flight MH370, is a torpedo shape with 5 meters and 800 surveys, underwater structure/pipeline inspections and kilograms capable of depth ranges of 4500 meters during 25 construction support, focused in performing repetitive and hour missions. Similar specifications are demonstrated by the arduous subsea tasks more efficient and consistent. REMUS 6000 AUV which allows 22 hours autonomous operations in up to 6000 meters depths, weighting 800kg and 4 A. Manned submersible meters long. Kongsberg also develops the Hugin AUV capable The deep sea is also visited by manned vehicles capable of high speed surveys at operating depths of 3000 meters. of reaching depths of near 11km. A well-knowned project was developed by James Cameron and the National Geographic – the Deepsea Challenger. The manned lander was used in 2012 to go to the deepest place on Earth – the Marianas Trench. One of the most important vehicles in the oceanographic community is the ALVIN deep submergence vehicle (DSV) from WHOI. A 7 meters length and 16 tons weight submarine that transports a crew of 3 elements till 4500 meters depths for a maximum of nine hours dive. The French IFREMER institute has the NAUTILE manned submersible capable of 6000 meters depths. The Russian Mir II, battery powered and 3 person submersible, is also capable of achieving 6000 meters depths. This deep diving capabilities allows this vehicles to reach approximately 98% of the ocean floor. B. Remotely Operated Vehicle The biggest robotic tool for deep sea operations are the ROVs. Originally conceived as subsea “eyeballs”, ROVs are Fig. 1 – SENTRY AUV from WHOI close to the Deepwater Horizon disaster rapidly evolving into highly capable robotic machines. Work- site [2] class ROVs are powerful heavy tools, slow in speed due to the high drag on the vehicle and tether cable, but are dedicated to Nowadays, several non-torpedo shape vehicles have work via video or imaging sonar on site, with full control of appeared and proven to be design efficient. Normally movement along all axes. associated with hovering maneuvers or hybrid ROV/AUV Several vehicle are capable of 6000 meters dives: the capabilities. Tiburon and now the Doc Rickettes from MBARI, Keil6000 Fig. 1 presents the Sentry AUV from WHOI which is from GEOMAR, or Victor6000 from IFREMER. Used within designed to descend to 4500 meters and to carry a range of multidisciplinary scientific/industrial projects and for the devices to take samples, readings and pictures from the deep installation and maintenance of ocean observatories/networks. sea. Equipped with high definition video cameras, fiber optics DEPTHX AUV from Stone Aerospace [3] is an ellipsoid telemetry, hydraulic thrusters, variable buoyancy system and shape vehicle developed for exploration and mapping of deep payload mounting capabilities. hydrothermal springs (subterranean cavern) to sub-glacial lake For lower depths (<4000 meters) but with high usability exploration and science missions in Antarctica. Equipped with in the scientific/industry community are ROVs, such as, several directions sonars that allows it to create 3D maps and 1) Micro tripod open-frame landers implement 3D-SLAM [4]. Open frame tripod shape equipped with high definition MARUM Centre for Marine