Design and Testing of a Minimal Configuration Underwater Micro‐Glider: Automating Lake and Reservoir Monitoring

ABSTRACT

Uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs) have transformed oceanographic research through autonomous data gathering. Similarly, lake and other aquatic research can potentially be automated and transformed. However, UUVs would need to be smaller, lighter, less complex, and cheaper than currently available to make them more practical and user‐friendly lake research tools. Conventionally powered micro‐UUVs are entering the market, but micro‐glider UUV (which uniquely provides long‐duration mobile monitoring capability) development has largely been the preserve of “hobbyists.” Here, we present innovative design guidelines for a micro‐glider UUV that features the novel use of a single actuator to achieve control in three dimensions. This minimizes UUV size, weight, and complexity, and optimizes maneuverability to promote suitability for use in lakes. Presented is a comprehensive and dynamic modeling technique that uses three external and three internal principal glider dimensions to explore the complete micro‐glider UUV design space. This model can be used to predict transitory and steady‐state glider performance and ultimately optimize design parameters. The prototype proof‐of‐concept testing has demonstrated practical validation of the design and modeling work. This work is significant as it explores an innovative micro‐glider UUV design for lake and reservoir applications; perhaps of greater importance, the modeling approach presented can form the base for micro‐glider UUV design. This will allow the development of enhanced automated monitoring capabilities across a broad range of aquatic systems and promote understanding of the freshwater and marine worlds.