R&D of a Micro-Sized AUV for Quasi-Real-Time In-Situ Monitoring of Coral Reefs

Coral reefs, as one of the most valuable ecosystems on Earth, are facing unprecedented threats. This paper introduces the R&D of a micro-sized autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) specifically designed for coral reef monitoring, CoralBuddy-3, which is the 3rd model of a series of cooperative research efforts between Xiamen University(XMU) and Hongkong University of Science and Technology(HKUST). The CoralBuddy-3 AUV is capable of penetrating coral reef areas flexibly to obtain information like images about the coral reefs. It is equipped with dual-mode link, i.e., an acoustic and WIFI joint communication module, which can achieve in-situ and quasi-real-time monitoring of coral reef ecosystem. Experimental results show that the AUV exhibits stable movement in underwater and joint communication performs excellent, which can provide a new reliable method for dynamic monitoring and protection of coral reefs.