Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Equipped for Air and Sea Locomotion

Barron Associates has been awarded a NAVY Phase I STTR contract to develop a hybrid unmanned vehicle capable of operating both in-air and underwater. The goal of the research is to design an autonomous vehicle that can cover much larger sections of the ocean in less time than a traditional Unmanned Underwater Vehicle. Barron’s vehicle concept, the AERODIVER, flies through the air to quickly traverse large sections of the sea as it travels towards an underwater target location. As the target is approached, the vehicle descends into the water to perform object inspection using select sensor hardware.  After the inspection is complete, the vehicle ascends to the water’s surface and is propelled airborne again to travel to the next target.