Underwater Inspection and Monitoring: Technologies for Autonomous Operations

The underwater environment poses numerous challenges and risks, making unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) an indispensable alternative to human operators. Numerous remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) have been developed as a valuable resource in a broad spectrum of underwater operations. However, the deployment and operation of UUVs face significant challenges due to the unique underwater environment that critically affects positioning, navigation, and timing performance, making it incomparable to above-water applications. This discrepancy significantly impacts the decision-making process of industrial operators, particularly those in the sector of critical undersea infrastructures (CUIs). Despite advancements, they persist in the use of heavy ROVs deployed from an expensive and environmentally impactful mothership for inspection and monitoring (I&M) tasks. To explore the potential revolutionary impact on underwater operations, we analyze the resilience of CUIs, and we review the most promising robotics developments that are currently or soon to be available. The forthcoming solutions not only promise to enhance the efficiency of I&M operations, thereby bolstering the security of CUIs, but they also have the potential to transform the broader field of underwater operations as a whole.