10:15 AM - 10:30 AM
[MIS20-06] Development of the Under Ice AUV “MONACA”
- Operational Tests for the First Antarctic Mission -
Keywords:AUV(Autonomous Underwater Vehicle), Under-ice Survey
This presentation introduces the AUV MONACA (Mobility Oriented Nadir AntarctiC Adventurer) and reports the results of operational tests on the icebreaker Shirase in Sep. 2021 and under ice at Mombetsu in Feb. 2022.
The AUV MONACA was developed for under ice survey of Antarctica, supported by JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas No.4902, to observe the sea ice/ice shelf and seafloor for research of ice sheet-ocean interaction. MONACA is 2 m long, 230 kg weight, and can cruise for about 8 hours. The depth rating is 1500m. The vehicle is designed to go into ice-covered oceans as far as 10 km. The flat body is filled with buoyancy materials at the top so that the battery units and main unit can be accessed from the side. The vehicle has five degrees of freedom (surge, heave, roll, pitch, and yaw) by 4 vertical thrusters and 2 horizontal thrusters. Although the survey range is limited compared with cruising type AUVs, it can conduct close observation of the ice and seafloor with lower costs. Its modular design enables the necessary and sufficient compositions for various survey needs. Its sensor unit consisting of a multi-beam sonar, an INS (Inertial Navigation System), and a DVL (Doppler Velocity Log) can be flipped upside down, so that the vehicle can survey both the ice and seafloor with minimum modification.
MONACA’s first mission to Antarctica is scheduled in 2022 from the icebreaker Shirase. We are preparing two special solutions to safely launch and recover the vehicle from Shirase, whose freeboard is very high (10m). One is to use a long rod to attach a rope to the surfaced vehicle, the other is to use an purpose-built ROV to attach a rope to the submerged vehicle. In Sep. 2021, the operational tests were held on Shirase, at shallow water near Hashira Island. We have succeeded in smooth operation of Shirase using the rod, to confirm the feasibility of the first solution.
The under ice tests are scheduled in Feb. 2022 at Mombetsu port in Hokkaido. The results of the tests will be reported on the presentation.
The AUV MONACA was developed for under ice survey of Antarctica, supported by JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas No.4902, to observe the sea ice/ice shelf and seafloor for research of ice sheet-ocean interaction. MONACA is 2 m long, 230 kg weight, and can cruise for about 8 hours. The depth rating is 1500m. The vehicle is designed to go into ice-covered oceans as far as 10 km. The flat body is filled with buoyancy materials at the top so that the battery units and main unit can be accessed from the side. The vehicle has five degrees of freedom (surge, heave, roll, pitch, and yaw) by 4 vertical thrusters and 2 horizontal thrusters. Although the survey range is limited compared with cruising type AUVs, it can conduct close observation of the ice and seafloor with lower costs. Its modular design enables the necessary and sufficient compositions for various survey needs. Its sensor unit consisting of a multi-beam sonar, an INS (Inertial Navigation System), and a DVL (Doppler Velocity Log) can be flipped upside down, so that the vehicle can survey both the ice and seafloor with minimum modification.
MONACA’s first mission to Antarctica is scheduled in 2022 from the icebreaker Shirase. We are preparing two special solutions to safely launch and recover the vehicle from Shirase, whose freeboard is very high (10m). One is to use a long rod to attach a rope to the surfaced vehicle, the other is to use an purpose-built ROV to attach a rope to the submerged vehicle. In Sep. 2021, the operational tests were held on Shirase, at shallow water near Hashira Island. We have succeeded in smooth operation of Shirase using the rod, to confirm the feasibility of the first solution.
The under ice tests are scheduled in Feb. 2022 at Mombetsu port in Hokkaido. The results of the tests will be reported on the presentation.