Knifefish (robot)
2012 demonstration model of the Knifefish UUV | |
Manufacturer |
General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems Bluefin Robotics |
---|---|
Country | United States |
Year of creation | 2012 (initial unveiling) |
Type | Unmanned underwater vehicle |
Purpose | Minesweeping |
The Knifefish is an autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) under development by General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems and Bluefin Robotics for the United States Navy. It is a propeller-driven minesweeping robot designed to replace the Navy's trained dolphins and sea lions after the retirement of the 50-year-old Marine Mammal Program in 2017.[1] The Knifefish was first unveiled at a Navy exposition in April 2012, and is intended to operate in concert with the Navy's littoral combat ships (LCS) as part of a specialised counter-mine system.[2][3] The Navy plans to begin sea trials of the Knifefish in 2015, and to enter it into active service in 2017.[1][3]
Design and operation
The robot is a derivative of the Bluefin-21, a civilian UUV designed by the Quincy, Massachusetts-based company Bluefin Robotics. In 2014, the Bluefin-21 gained widespread recognition after it was deployed by international rescue organisations to search the seafloor of the Indian Ocean for the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.[4][5]
The Knifefish is a torpedo-shaped robot 19 feet (5.8 m) in length and 21 inches (0.53 m) in diameter, with an operational weight of 1,700 pounds (770 kg).[2] It is powered by a lithium-ion battery, which allows it to operate for up to 16 hours on pre-programmed search missions.[3][6] It uses onboard synthetic aperture sonar to detect floating or buried naval mines, and can identify a wide variety of mines and mine-like objects using an onboard database and analytical computer.[3] The Knifefish can then mark detected mines and record their locations in its database; the robot later uploads the data to its parent LCS, which destroys the mines.[6] The Knifefish may be modified to transmit its data in real-time, if the Navy considers such a capability necessary after the robot's sea trials.[2] Each LCS will be capable of operating two Knifefish UUVs, which will scan the seabed near the ship and reduce the risk of mine damage to the LCS itself.[2]
Development
By December 2012, the Navy had ordered eight Knifefish units, at a total cost of US$20 million.[6] In April 2013, General Dynamics completed its critical design review of the Knifefish, and began developing software and hardware for the operational version of the robot.[7] The Knifefish is scheduled to begin sea trials in 2015, and to enter into active service in 2017, coincident with the end of the Navy's Marine Mammal Program.[1][3]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "U.S. Navy To Retire Mine-Sweeping Dolphins And Use Robots Instead". Popular Science. 15 November 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Navy Will Give Nearsighted Minehunter Robotic Glasses". Wired. 16 April 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "Knifefish Mine-hunting UUV to Begin Operational Testing in 2015". DefenseMediaNetwork.com. 16 June 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
- ↑ "Robotic sub to search for MH370". BBC. 14 April 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
- ↑ "Robotic submarine searching for MH370 makes first successful scan of seabed". Daily Mail. 17 April 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "US Navy finally starts replacing killer dolphins with mine-hunting Knifefish drones". ExtremeTech. 21 November 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
- ↑ "GD completes CDR of Knifefish UUV for US Navy". Naval-Technology.com. 9 April 2013. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
External links
- Bluefin Robotics website
- "Meet the Navy’s Knifefish Mine-Hunting Robot". DefenseTech.org. 16 April 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2013.