2003 Toyota UUV Concept

My tumblr blogs:

This guy was scrapped in the end and remained purely a concept, but it would have been an automated probe deployed by the Cyclops sub to investigate caves (relatively) risk-free.

Here it is encountering the (also unimplemented) "Cave Thing" (likely an early version of the also scrapped Grabcrab) from the player’s perspective. Evidenced by Ryley’s reflection, this guy would’ve been pretty small.

The droid has the unit designation "6872" on its side. Unlike the Camera Drones this machine would’ve been fully autonomous.

Submersible Aircraft

1962:

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2008:

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2010:

Https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA554344.pdf

SDV: SEAL delivery vehicle

Advanced Underwater Missions Operated by Unmanned Systems

Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) can serve for a wide variety of missions, including intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, mine countermeasures, anti-submarine warfare, etc. The German Navy has recently received new REMUS 100 unmanned underwater vehicles from Huntington Ingalls

At first, it seems like a quirky, what-are-the-chances-of-that headline: “China rewards fishers who netted foreign spy devices.” But behind that headline in Chinese state media, there is a different – and more intriguing – story.

Firstly, this wasn’t two or three fishermen receiving awards. It was 11 – one woman, the rest men – who found seven devices in total.

Secondly, this wasn’t the first time fishermen from Jiangsu had found “spy drones.” In 2018, some 18 were rewarded for finding nine devices. There was also a ceremony a year earlier.

And thirdly, the rewards were huge – up to 500,000 yuan ($72,080) – around 17 times the average disposable income in China. 

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/05b69a4a05a1f2dedac2d886f5e7e1ca4547f14c?page=2

The Hidden Challenge in Autonomous Systems: Why Technology Partners Matter More Than Ever

In the early stages of an industry, attention focuses on the companies building the final product.

As industries mature, value often migrates to the companies providing the critical technologies that enable the entire ecosystem.

We saw this with semiconductors, networking, software, telecommunications, renewable energy, and automotive.

Today, there are hundreds of UAV, UGV, USV, and UUV manufacturers worldwide. Many are building exceptional platforms and creating remarkable innovation. Our customers are among the leaders driving this transformation.

But there is a structural reality that is becoming increasingly important. The Unmanned Systems industry has a hidden ecosystem challenge. Most industries follow a pyramid structure.

There are normally thousands of component/systems suppliers, which in turn support a relatively small number of end product manufacturers. As you move up the pyramid, the number of companies decreases.

The Unmanned Systems industry looks very different. Today, hundreds of drone manufacturers compete in the market, while only a small number of suppliers can deliver production-ready systems, and software platforms, in volume.

Every autonomous vehicle depends upon a complex technology stack:

• Propulsion systems • Power electronics • Flight and vehicle controllers • Telemetry and software platforms • Manufacturing and supply chain infrastructure

As fleets scale from dozens of vehicles to thousands — and eventually millions — the challenge is no longer proving the technology.

The challenge is delivering.. At scale.. Reliably.. Cost effectively.. And with sovereign, secure supply chain.

The most forward-thinking OEMs understand this. They know their long-term success depends not only on great vehicles, but on great technology partners.

That is why we are seeing increasing focus on companies that provide foundational technologies across multiple platforms and vehicle categories. At ePropelled, our objective has never been to build a drone, ground vehicle or marine vehicle.

Our objective is to build the propulsion, power, control, and intelligence infrastructure that enables the autonomous systems industry to scale. When a customer succeeds with a UAV, UGV, USV, or UUV platform, we succeed alongside them.

As the industry moves from prototypes to production, from demonstrations to deployment, and from programs to fleets, I believe the strategic value of the enabling technology layer will become increasingly apparent.