Engineers from St. Petersburg State Marine Technical University (SPbGMTU) have developed and tested a prototype of an autonomous surface drone to assist divers. The drone serves for communication with the diver and visual reference in difficult weather conditions, the university's press service reported.
The self-propelled surface platform is equipped with:
- two thrusters
- electronic navigation module
- radio communication antennas
- hydroacoustic system
- battery
- lighting system above and under water
Unlike traditional means of communication and visual control, the product from SPbGMTU works without cables.
The device illuminates the work area, automatically tracks the diver's position, and maintains a constant distance to him.
The university emphasized that the drone has no analogues on the market. The surface platform is built on Russian and foreign component base. At the same time, the key functions of the device were developed at SPbGMTU. Thanks to the modular system, imported parts of the drone can be replaced with Russian ones in the future.