An 8-ton drone measuring over 12 meters has set a record by autonomously diving to a depth of 3,400 meters during a multi-week mission.
The Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Hugin Endurance from the Norwegian company Kongsberg achieved a significant milestone in its development testing. As the latest model in Kongsberg’s Hugin series, the Endurance is capable of operating independently over long distances between coasts, Interesting Engineering reported on September 5.
Hugin Endurance drone at the manufacturing plant. (Photo: Kongsberg).
The latest mission of the Hugin Endurance reached depths ranging from 50 to 3,400 meters and achieved an operational range as estimated at 2,222 kilometers. The Hugin Endurance returned with a position error of only 0.02% of the total distance traveled.
Hugin Endurance is a fully self-sufficient system, capable of operating for extended periods without human support. Endurance is the largest model in the free-swimming Hugin series. The vehicle provides optimized hydrodynamics, high flexibility, and precision.
This underwater drone can be equipped with various sensors designed for specific mission functions and scenarios, including acoustic tools for mapping and inspection, such as Kongsberg’s EM multi-beam system and HISAS synthetic aperture sonar. Sensors above and below the water aid in automatic decision-making. According to the company, Endurance has the capability to meet commercial requirements for high-quality data collection, thanks to advanced technologies like the latest generation of pressure-resistant lithium-ion batteries, sensors, Sunstone inertial navigation system, and HISAS micro-navigation.
Hugin Endurance can handle unexpected situations, switch between operational modes, and securely communicate with remote operation centers. A key feature of the vehicle is its low environmental impact and ability to operate continuously between coasts for up to 15 days. The drone can survey an area of 2,200 kilometers and map a region of 1,100 square kilometers using advanced sonar technology. The system operates at depths of up to 6,000 meters. Hugin Endurance can be launched and recovered from the coast or any available vessel.
According to Kongsberg, the completed mission helps confirm the system’s design specifications and demonstrates that Hugin’s autonomous platform can handle complex multi-day missions without human intervention.
