Researchers at Harvey Mudd College have developed a novel autonomous underwater vehicle. Harvey Mudd College researchers working on a long-term project to unite robotics and archaeology have developed a novel autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) that can explore the sea floor looking for signs of wrecked ships. The researchers also created a new artificial intelligence (AI) system to help better analyze the images of the sea bottom, as well as algorithms to improve the search and navigation of a target area. The team initially plots a large area for the AUV to explore by beaming sound waves down from the water's surface, creating acoustic images of what lies beneath. The AI then ranks the most promising areas for further exploration, looking for indicators such as long shadows and sharp corners that could indicate a manmade object.

Off the coast of Malta, Chris Clark was sitting on a small boat waiting for his underwater robot to talk to him. It was autonomously exploring the sea bed hunting for signs of a wreckage, but was unable to relay what it had found until it surfaced. "We could have gone back to shore, but we prefer to sit out there babysitting it, chit chatting and hypothesising about what it might find," says Clark at Harvey Mudd College in California.