Chinese scientists have developed a new type of sophisticated underwater robot which has the potential to be used for seabed mining surveys.

Feng Xisheng, an academic at the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua that the research team had worked out highly indigenous technologies for composite control, module structure and optical fiber application on the underwater robot. The machine is within the industrial category of autonomous robot vehicle (ARV).

The ARV combines the features of a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), said Feng. He added that it could be used for precise operations at quite long distances.

The Shenyang Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has a reputation for inventing and developing underwater robots. It has already developed another type of long-range AUV with the capability of operating for extended periods of time over several hundred  kilometers..

In the latest underwater test, the newly developed AUV set a domestic record in sustainability. The AUV is equipped with a satellite navigation receiver for precise positioning, a new type of sonar system, a high-power fuel cell and lithium cell systems, Feng said.

"We could use our new AUVs to explore underwater mineral resources and help maintain offshore oil rigs," Feng said.

The Shenyang Institute of Automation has developed underwater robots since the 1990s and invented China's first cable-controlled ROV and AUV. Its underwater robot fleet includes two types of AUVs which can dive into a depth of 6,000 meters. .

China is recognized as being among world leaders in developing advanced underwater robotics.

(Xinhua News Agency March 16, 2006)