Unmanned Underwater Station Octavis Unveiled at the Army 2024 Show
The concept of the unmanned underwater station Octavis is unveiled by Rubin Design Bureau at the Army 2024 show. The station ensures sustained operation of Autonomous Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (AUVs).
When docked at Octavis, an AUV will be able to recharge its battery or to park at the station waiting for the next mission. Octavis will scan technical condition of the device and its software.
Octavis will work as an information storage and transmission center: the station will temporarily store information collected by AUV and send it to a shore-based control center or to other AUVs. Through Octavis the shore-based control center will install a new mission program to an AUV.
Octavis can be also used for gathering environmental data, in particular, for environmental monitoring in the region where the station is installed.
Due to an unmanned underwater station, at least one AUV will be always at the ready. Octavis eliminates risks of an AUV descent and ascent, especially in stormy weather. Missions outlay will reduce, since there'll be no need in the constant presence of a mother vessel. All that will facilitate the wider coverage of the underwater environment, ensuring seabed mining and oceanology and climate scientific data capturing.
The concept assumes several options of Octavis design. The station will rest on soil or be anchored to bottom with mooring lines; installation depth may vary from 500 meters to 1000 meters. Depending on hydrographic conditions and AUV missions factors, Octavis will be able to maintain from one to three robots.
Octavis has a Li-Ion battery installed; electric power supply is also provided from one or more external battery modules. The concept development implies different options of electric power feeding to Octavis: from shore, offshore platform and even devices converting ocean energy. Rubin Design Bureau actively discusses cooperation with scientific institutes that show interest in using equipment of such type.
