The goal is to quite literally cut the cable – and make the small ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) capable of operating independently from a subsea docking station for weeks at a time.
Blueye can be used for inspecting subsea cables and other underwater installations, and for conducting environmental research under polar ice. The Norwegian Coast Guard already has Blueye units on several of their vessels.
The project is led by PhD candidate Leonard Florian Tom Günzel at the Department of Marine Technology, NTNU.
“We’re working to turn Blueye into an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) that can remain ‘resident’ on the seabed for extended periods,” says Günzel.
After months of simulations and pool testing, the team recently carried out their first successful field operation in the Trondheim Fjord
Real-time navigation
Together with fellow PhD researchers Ambjørn Waldum, Gabriele Kasparavičiūtė, and eight master’s students, the project group has developed both the underwater vehicle and the necessary infrastructure to support long-term autonomous operations.
“The AUV will be able to manoeuvre independently over distances of 100–500 metres and return to a docking station placed on the seabed,” says Günzel.
Navigation is achieved using a USBL transducer (Ultra-Short Baseline), which sends signals to a modem on the AUV. The modem responds with a ping and receives its position in return – enabling precise real-time navigation.
When the AUV approaches the docking station, it can either position itself in front of an optical modem for communication – allowing mission data to be downloaded and new instructions uploaded – or dock directly for recharging.
The station supports inductive charging and high-speed data transfer.
“That allows us to update mission data, retrieve measurements, and send new commands – all without the AUV needing to surface,” Günzel explains.
A technological breakthrough
In practice, this means the underwater drone can be permanently stationed beneath the surface, ready for its next mission – without human intervention.
The field test was carried out in collaboration with NTNU’s larger ROV, Minerva, and marks a technological breakthrough for compact underwater vehicles.
The project is part of NTNU’s SAFEGUARD initiative and builds on many years of research and development at NTNU. NTNU VISTA-CAROS, a centre for autonomous underwater operations supported by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters and Equinor, has played a key role in providing infrastructure.
“I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who has contributed – through master’s theses, technical support, and supervision. And not least to Professor Martin Ludvigsen, who laid much of the groundwork we are now building on,” says Günzel.