Solution for Unmanned Underwater Vehicle Interfaces

As autonomous undersea vehicles become more widespread in their use for complex missions, the difficulty inherent in deploying versatile autonomous systems at long range becomes more challenging. Michigan Aerospace Corporation proposes a system of small autonomous undersea vehicles that are deployed from a larger autonomous vehicle, thereby greatly extending the effective range. To aid in the development of this system concept, Michigan Aerospace will bring its expertise in autonomous docking and servicing systems to the table, and will enlist the expertise of specialists in hydrodynamic modeling and underwater vehicle dynamics from the University of Michigan, and laser ranging systems from Sandia National Laboratories. Michigan Aerospace intends to accomplish a complete conceptual development and testing plan during this Phase I effort by identifying and analyzing the various system requirements, generating a preliminary concept model, analyzing the model through finite element and dynamic simulation methods, and generating a comprehensive test plan. It is also our intent to apply the Sandia laser range imaging technology that is currently evolving to this task, and to lay out an all-inclusive approach to develop its potential in this field.