An autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is disclosed for transporting and delivering a positively buoyant payload and/or a negatively buoyant payload to a destination. The AUV can be gravitationally propelled through the sea. The AUV can comprise a flexible vehicle body that receives a positively buoyant payload (e.g., incompressible fluid, like fuel) and can comprise a negative buoyancy component (e.g., elongated spine, electronics, cargo, etc.). A weight of the negative buoyancy component is correlated to a volume of the positively buoyant payload whereby the AUV is substantially neutrally buoyant at sea. The positively buoyant payload can be hydrostatically pressurized to hydrodynamically shape the body. The vehicle body can be collapsible for storage. The AUV can collect underwater intelligence data and transmit said data when surfacing. The AUV can loiter at sea for long periods of time. Associated system and methods are disclosed for transporting a positively buoyant payload with an AUV.


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    Title :

    Autonomous Underwater Vehicle for Transport of Payloads


    Contributors:

    Publication date :

    2018-05-10


    Type of media :

    Patent


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English


    Classification :

    IPC:    G05D SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES , Systeme zum Steuern oder Regeln nichtelektrischer veränderlicher Größen / B63G OFFENSIVE OR DEFENSIVE ARRANGEMENTS ON VESSELS , Angriffs- oder Verteidigungsanordnungen auf Schiffen



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