Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are robotic mobile instrument carriers that have independent propulsion, sensors, and “intelligence,” allowing them to successfully complete sampling and survey tasks with little or no human intervention. MIT built its first AUV in 1973. With explosive developments in artificial intelligence, control theory, and computer hardware, totally autonomous underwater vehicles have become a reality. Such technology provides the scientific and engineering communities with an extremely versatile, cost-effective technology, capable of accessing previously inaccessible ocean locations. Underwater vehicles are also extremely important tools for the offshore industry, where inspection of submerged structures is crucial to both human safety and the protection of the environment.

The MIT Sea Grant College Program established its Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Laboratory in 1988. This lab has become a leading national resource for the development of AUV technology and for the use of AUVs in oceanographic research. A breakthrough development by this laboratory was the Odyssey AUV, largely because it was considerably less costly to build than previous deep-diving vehicles and also weighed much less. When first field-tested in 1992, Odyssey was depthrated for 6000 m (3.7 miles) and weighed 195 kg (430 lbs). This depth rating allows Odyssey to operate in 97% of the world’s ocean domain. Another big advantage of the Odyssey technology is that these vehicles do not require the support of large, expensive oceanographic research vessels. The low cost, deployment flexibility, depth rating, and cruising range of Odyssey-class vehicles are key factors which suggest that these AUVs will help revolutionize future ocean research. Between 1992 and 1995, Odyssey and its successor, Odyssey II, were deployed numerous times off the New England coast, in the Bellinghausen Sea in Antarctica, in the Beaufort Sea in the Arctic, and over the Juan de Fuca Ridge at depths of up to 1400 m. Between 1995 and 1998, enhanced Odyssey IIb AUVs were exercised in the Haro Strait off Vancouver Island (67 dives in 21 days with no failures), used in the Kaikoura Canyon off New Zealand (to search for giant squid), and deployed in the Labrador Sea (for deployment and docking tests with a deep mooring system). In May 1998, a new collaboration between MIT and NATO's SACLANT Undersea Research Centre (La Spezia, Italy) was initiated. The Generic Oceanographic Array Technology Sonar (GOATS) experiment began with extensive use of Odyssey IIb AUVs off the island of Elba, Italy. In 1999, a complete demonstration of the Autonomous Ocean Sampling Network (AOSN) took place in Monterey Bay, California. This experiment combined Odyssey and other AUVs with a docking station, communication moorings and shore labs to provide an integrated suite of vehicles and sensors for oceanographic research.

During the first half of 2000, MIT's Odyssey AUVs were upgraded to a new configuration, dubbed the Odyssey IIc. Upgrading included replacing the aging computer and software systems with brand-new designs. Other components showing signs of wear after many years of faithful service were also replaced. The new and improved Odyssey vehicles continue a busy schedule of experiments. They served in the final AOSN field test, again in Monterey Bay, during August 2000. Then in September and October, they were used in another joint program in Italy – GOATS 2000. This effort demonstrated multi-vehicle operations in which two AUVs work together to achieve a common mission. Recently, MIT’s Odyssey AUV technology has been commercialized, and operating units are available from the Bluefin Robotics Corporation.