Software shows undersea drones quickest route.

• Author: Beidel, Eric
• Position: Defense Technology Newswire

* The fastest way to get from one location to another on land may be to follow a straight line. But it's another story under water.

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Strong and shifting currents and different shore geography make figuring out the best route under water a complex matter. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology say they have developed software that may solve that problem.

The team has come up with a mathematical process that finds the best paths for automated underwater vehicles (A'UVs) to travel. The system can determine routes to save time or energy or create a course that will allow for the maximum amount of data to be collected.

Propelled and gliding AUVs are used for a variety of purposes including military reconnaissance, harbor protection, mapping and oceanographic research, and maintenance of deep-sea oil wells.

Researchers have made it easier to optimize paths for a swarm of underwater vehicles moving simultaneously toward multiple destinations.

The group simulated a virtual fleet of 1,000 AUVs deployed from one or more ships and seeking different targets. The algorithm researchers use can sometimes lead to incredibly awkward-looking...