Jack Loughran Wed 27 Aug 2025
Collected at: https://eandt.theiet.org/2025/08/27/autonomous-underwater-vehicle-reaches-2300m-deep-sea-test
Nauticus Robotics has sent an autonomous underwater vehicle to depths of 2,300 metres ahead of plans to launch a commercial service for monitoring infrastructure in the deep ocean.
Dubbed Aquanaut Mark 2, the fully electric vehicle is currently undergoing a testing regime to scrutinise its performance before eventually being put to use in imaging subsea structures such pipelines or performing seabed scanning, leak detection, obstacle avoidance and close visual inspection.
With water effectively blocking most radio frequencies, unmanned vehicles travelling at significant depths need to be able to navigate their environments without relying on human intervention. Aquanaut Mark 2 is equipped with a suite of sensors, AI and effective algorithms for perception and decision-making to allow the robot to adapt to changing environments.
“I am pleased to report that our vehicle has reached unprecedented ultra deepwater depths without the need of a tether,” said Daniel Dehart, Nauticus’ VP of field operations.
“Reaching this new depth is an exciting milestone, and we have obtained significant data on both Aquanaut and TooKITT from these tests – particularly regarding acoustic communication challenges in ultra-deep water.”
TooKITT is the firm’s AI software that allows its seacraft to make decisions on the fly. The company estimates that oil and gas customers could save between 30% and 40% on the costs of underwater maintenance by deploying Aquanaut in the field.
Nauticus Robotics’ CEO John Gibson said: “The more time we spend untethered in the water, the greater our operational and technical lead expands in the market. I’m proud that our team is constantly finding solutions to strengthen our capabilities underwater and enhance revenue opportunities for projects at these depths.”
In June, the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory unveiled an underwater robot designed to prevent adversaries from sabotaging undersea cables and pipelines. The UK has around 60 undersea cables, which are crucial for global internet communication, carrying 99% of its data.
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