Penguins are fast, fantastic swimmers, so why not make an underwater robot inspired by them? That's just what German underwater tech company EvoLogics has done, with its new AUV (autonomous underwater vehicle).
Intended for scientific research, it features instruments such as side-scan sonar for acoustic imaging of the seafloor, along with one forward-facing and one downward-facing HD camera.
Its instruments are capable of measuring the water's temperature, pressure, oxygen content, conductivity and fluorescence at various depths. All the recorded data can be transmitted by the AUV when it surfaces, or simply downloaded from it back at the base.
Utilizing its four rear thrusters, the robot can dive to a maximum depth of 150 m (492 ft), has a top speed of 18.5 km/h (11.5 mph). One six-hour charge of its lithium-ion battery is reportedly good for 10 hours of runtime at a cruising speed of 7 km/h (4.5 mph).
An AI object recognition module detects items picked up by the sonar or cameras, plus it's part of the AUV's collision-avoidance system. There's also an integrated Nortek Nucleus1000 subsea navigation package, which helps the bot keep track of its whereabouts.
You can see the AUV in underwater action in the video below.