Homeland Security’s robotic tuna

Homeland Security’s robotic tuna

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TUNA (2)Inspired by the real tuna, BIOSwimmer is a UUV designed for high maneuverability in harsh environments, with a flexible aft section and appropriately placed sets of pectoral and other fins.  For those cluttered and hard-to-reach underwater places where inspection is necessary, the tuna-inspired frame is an optimal design.  It can inspect the interior voids of ships such as flooded bilges and tanks, and hard to reach external areas such as steerage, propulsion and sea chests.  It can also inspect and protect harbors and piers, perform area searches and carry out other security missions.

Boston Engineering Corporation’s Advanced Systems Group (ASG) in Waltham, Massachusetts, is developing the BIOSwimmer for S&T.

BIOSwimmer is battery-powered and designed for long-duration operation. Like other unmanned underwater vehicles, it uses an onboard computer suite for navigation, sensor processing, and communications.  Its Operator Control Unit is laptop-based and provides intuitive control and simple, mission-defined versatility for the user. A unique aspect of this system is the internal components and external sensing which are designed for the challenging environment of constricted spaces and high viscosity fluids