• Download Press Kit
  • About The Books
  • Testimonials
  • Hire To Speak
  • Buy The Books

Dr. Hans C. Mumm

Author & Entrepreneur

  • Bio
  • Recent Appearances
  • Gallery
  • Event Calendar
  • Contact

January 23, 2019

Russia tests ‘underwater quadcopter’ for cold water exploration

Russia tests ‘underwater quadcopter’ for cold water exploration

By: Kelsey D. Atherton    


This quadcopter-shaped submersible robot uses rotors on limbs much like its aerial brethren. (Screenshot by Kelsey D. Atherton)

 In a swimming pool in Krasnoyarsk, Russia a robot prototype prepares for an arctic journey. The robot is small enough, the preparations modest enough, that people swim laps as normal in the other half of the pool. This new tethered machine, with a quadcopter-inspired body, is built to scout the waters of Siberia, first for wrecks and resources, and then possibly much more. As commercial robots proliferate in air and land and sea, it’s worth looking at exactly what machines will plumb the cold depths of the warming seas.

Built by the Siberian State University of Science and Technology, the robots likely first mission outside a test environment will be the bed of the Yenisei river, with a possible mission to follow in the Volga and ultimately arctic exploration in the model’s more-distant future. Russia’s robotics industry has greatly expanded its capability in recent years, and there is a somewhat fluid nature between commercially developed technologies and future military acquisitions.

“This is a unique design. [We] have not seen anything similar yet, but Russian defense industry officials recently stated that there are no fewer than 17 [underwater unmanned vehicle] designs presently under development in Russia,” said Samuel Bendett, an adviser at the Center for Naval Analyses.

This robot’s closest predecessor, in terms of form factor alone, may be a Belarussian anti-tank drone, which straps a set of rotors to a missile launcher used as a fuselage. But the Siberian underwater drone will instead carry a set of sensors, designed to detect obstacles, route around them, and distinguish between colors at a depth of up to 330 feet.

Also notable is that the Siberian river-drone is designed to use a new electronic geo-information system, which could help with future autonomous navigation. (That future autonomy will also likely require a move beyond tethered controls and data transfer.)

While cold rivers will likely be the first domain of this underwater quadcopter, the robotic is explicitly designed for difficult, northern waters and climates. With these Siberian drone carrying a stated pricetag of around $2,000, getting sensitive information from under the surface is poised to be a cheap prospect.

Watch a video of the robot below:

https://www.c4isrnet.com/unmanned/2019/01/23/russia-tests-underwater-quadcopter-for-cold-water-exploration/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%201/23&utm_term=Editorial%20-%20Daily%20Brief

Dr. Hans C. Mumm

Article by Hans Mumm / Leadership

Connect With Me!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

A Congressional Record to one of our Nations Heroes

What’s New

  • American Robotics Becomes First Company Approved by the FAA To Operate Automated Drones Without Human Operators On-Site
  • Biometrics, drones and robotic guards: Inside Hong Kong’s first ‘smart prison’
  • U.S. Air Force funds adaptation of automotive radar for autonomous “flying cars”
  • The Countries Whose Governments are the Most Prepared for Drones
  • Milirem’s Type-X robotic armored combat vehicle begins ground testing

Buy The Book

Buy Now on Amazon

Hire Me To Speak

Speaker Dr. Hans C. Mumm
  • Home
  • About
  • Press Kit
  • Hire To Speak
  • The Book
  • Calendar
  • Appearances
  • Buy Book
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Site Map

Copyright © 2021 — Dr. Hans C. Mumm • All rights reserved.