A startup just revealed an AI-powered uncrewed underwater vehicle (UUV) designed to operate at depths of up to 1,640 feet (500 meters) and come with a 22-pound (10-kilogram) payload. According to Marine Technology News, this undersea drone is capable of subsea infrastructure protection, inspections, and intervention. It can operate independently for up to four hours, but can extend indefinitely if tethered to a power source from the surface.
This drone, called the SU10 and built by SYOS, can launch directly from shore, through a crewed mothership, or via a larger uncrewed surface ship built by the same company, with a launch-and-recovery system that’s connected to the company’s autonomous software. This UUV has a rather short battery life of just four hours, which seems like it isn’t enough for patrolling undersea cables. However, the option to operate it connected to a larger vessel on the surface should allow it to extend its mission for as long as necessary. AutoNotion says that the tether doesn’t just carry power — it also has an ultra-slim fiber-optic line that transfers data and a live feed, allowing an operator to control it manually as needed.
