ARV navigation and control system at Arctic research

ARV is a new concept unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) which has both the characteristics of autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) and that of remote operated underwater vehicle (ROV). It is a hybrid ROV/AUV. ARV can cruise at a range of 3km at the speed of 3kn, in a depth shallower than 500 meters. At the attractive point the vehicle can be operated as a ROV with the ability of dynamic positioning. The vehicle has a Fiber Optic Micro Cable (FOMC) system with the length of 5km for transferring image and other payload sensors' data in real time. The payload segment is a reconfigurable module that can be changed according to different scientific related missions. ARV was used in China's third Arctic expedition in 2008.