Chinese team sets world record with swarm of 116 underwater drones
A Chinese team has set a world record for the most autonomous underwater drones operating at the same time, deploying more than a hundred of the small robots in a swimming pool test. The Guinness World Record for “most autonomous underwater vehicles operating simultaneously” was set by a team from Northwestern Polytechnical University in collaboration with Xian Tianhe Maritime Technologies. The…
On September 24, a Chinese research team from Northwestern Polytechnical University and Xian Tianhe Maritime Technologies set a new Guinness World Record by deploying 116 autonomous underwater drones simultaneously in a swimming pool. The trial took place on August 29, under the supervision of Guinness World Records officials, and successfully demonstrated the vehicles' ability to navigate autonomously for 34 minutes over a 500-meter route without human intervention.
The TH-618 drones, each measuring 61.5cm long and 20cm wide, weighed 5.14kg and had a maximum range of 30km, capable of operating continuously for over eight hours. Equipped with mobile phone vision cameras, the drones adapted to route disturbances by making corrections and adjustments. The university's statement highlighted the global challenge of achieving stable coordination among large numbers of underwater vehicles, with this breakthrough representing a significant advancement in large-scale underwater unmanned system navigation.
China is rapidly advancing its autonomous vehicle technologies, including drone swarms across land, air, and sea, as global combat shifts towards unmanned systems. The university's TH-618 drones have various applications, such as sea floor mapping and oil and gas pipeline inspection, as demonstrated by their partner, Xian Tianhe Maritime Technologies.
Written by urgent.news from Reuters Business via SCMP's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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