Conceptual Framework for Teleoperated Robotic Recovery of Large Subsea UXOs

Abstract

Decades after the World Wars, vast quantities of discarded munitions and unexploded ordnance (UXO) remain submerged in coastal waters worldwide, posing severe risks to marine ecosystems, public health, and maritime operations. While autonomous and remotely operated underwater vehicles provide promising solutions for the UXO detection and recovery of small-scale objects, they fall short when large munitions exceeding 200 kg need to be handled. This paper presents a concept to address this open challenge in the current quest for effective mine countermeasures (MCM). As part of the Waterside project of the German Aerospace Center (DLR), we envision a teleoperation-based concept using a crawler platform equipped with a force-feedback robotic arm and gripper, where the navigation is enabled through a locally set up swarm navigation system. The individual components required for the realization of this concept are presented, each leveraging previous research achievements developed by DLR for space applications. Combining the different fields of expertise in cooperation with industry partners and governmental authorities, the proposed concept promises to enable safe and efficient recovery of large-scale UXOs in shallow waters. A proof-of- concept demonstration is planned to take place in the near future, bringing the technology from the lab to the water. The approach is set up to be extended in the future to increase autonomy features, such that eventually the reliance on large vessels and extensive human presence can be reduced.