The Final Method to Sort Out Underwater Drones Classification Problem

Abstract The rapid advancement in subsea technology has paved the way for a new era of autonomous subsea robots, the UIDs (Underwater Intervention / Inspection Drones), which are significantly revolutionizing oceanographic research, underwater construction, environmental monitoring and patrolling of critical assets. The proliferation of these sophisticated machines necessitates a standardized classification system to enable meaningful comparisons and foster collaboration across industries, in the Offshore Energy sector and beyond. To overcome this issue, a "UID taxonomy system" has been developed. This system allows a UIDs classification on the basis of the implemented functionalities rather than their underlying technologies. This taxonomy tool is developed by grouping typical operational needs in the offshore industry, as analyzed by Saipem and Equinor in recent years. It defines different levels of performances that can be used to classify various robotic systems (from conventional ROVs to AUVs and novel UIDs), enabling effective and holistic quantitative comparisons. Several potential use cases are proposed to validate the tool's effectiveness. The ambition of this article is to offer the underwater energy community a "UID taxonomy system" that facilitates communication and collaboration between offshore operators and UID product/service providers thus enabling a clear understanding on how to fully exploit UID technologies for real offshore projects. The proposed UID taxonomy system should be considered as a starting point, a first draft to be finalized with the collaboration of the entire sector to identify a truly common language. shared by the main players in the sector.