Autonomous underwater robot completes 5,100-meter seabed test

据中国大洋第75航次消息，由北京先驱高技术开发有限责任公司联合中国科学院沈阳自动化研究所等单位研制的矿址近底自主光学精细调查测量系统“洞察”号自主 水下机器人 ，在西太平洋先驱多金属结核矿区成功完成了海试。

As a high-tech unmanned equipment dedicated to optical surveys of deep-sea resources in the ocean, the "Insight" has the characteristics of small size and long endurance. It can replace humans to perform long-distance, refined near-bottom optical exploration tasks. In order to achieve the goal of long endurance and lightweight, the scientific research team adopted an integrated lightweight pressure-resistant structure that combines composite materials and high-strength titanium alloys. In addition, deep-sea adaptive buoyancy balance technology has been developed to achieve efficient navigation and near-bottom fine survey capabilities at any working depth. The "Insight" is designed to have a maximum working depth of 6,000 meters, weighs 600 kilograms in air, and is equipped with a deep-sea camera, which can perform near-bottom optical fine surveys and measurements of mine sites for a long time.

It is reported that the sea trial lasted for 8 days and carried out a total of 6 dives. It completed 3,000-meter and 5,000-meter diving depth tests and optical survey operations of near-seabed deposits, obtained high-definition photos of the polymetallic nodule mining area near the bottom, and verified the functions of the "Insight" system.

Dr. Huang Yan, the person in charge of the test site, said: "Insight is expected to improve the efficiency of surveying mining resources and biological distribution in the region." Based on this sea trial, in the future, the team's scientific researchers will continue to further improve and upgrade this technology and strive to put it into practical application as soon as possible.