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55 “It’s also a single drag-and-drop button to tell the YUCO to surface for a GNSS reading, or to keep its sidescan sonar on for a given length of travel,” Simon comments. “You can also copy and paste any set of waypoints for easily repeated survey patterns. That means end-users pretty much never need more than one session to become proficient in using the vessel.” The operator can also adapt its end-of- mission behaviour according to which type of vessels or area it is to be called back to. These adaptations include selecting whether the YUCO is to be recovered from a small vessel, a big vessel or even from the shore, setting the most appropriate return and waiting behaviours to minimise the risk of a collision. For example, if recovery is set to “No nautical means”, meaning a manual beach or shallows recovery is to be performed, it will simply navigate along the water’s surface to the assigned GNSS point without its usual avoidance of the seabed. “And because it’s a small AUV, launching is easy. You can just drop it off the side of a big vessel, and then our handheld SeaComm unit can remotely trigger the mission to begin or to make an emergency return, over the YUCO’s radio antenna from up to 4 km away,” Simon adds. Radio antennas are installed to ensure external comms needs, with the GNSS antenna under the centre dorsal fin. Internal comms between the payload and dry sections can be configured for Ethernet, UART, or RS-232. An external satcom module can also be installed for open ocean applications. Future plans With the YUCO now matured and in production, Seaber is preparing to continue making new modular variations and technological capabilities available. “One area we are working on are acoustic capabilities in terms of position aiding and underwater communication,” says Simon. “That will open up a wide range of new uses and application scenarios for the YUCO, such as anything needing launch or recovery from mobile platforms on or offshore. “We have also received widespread interest in the integration of many new sensor types, and on that front an announcement will be made towards the end of this year.” Uncrewed Systems Technology | October/November 2022 Micro-AUV Depth rating: 300 m Weight: 8 kg Length: 98-123 cm Diameter: 12 cm Speed: 2.5 to 6 knots maximum Endurance: 6 to 10 hours Some key suppliers DVL: Water Linked Payloads: RBR Payloads: DeepVision Payloads: AML Oceanographic Payloads: RsAqua Thruster: Blue Robotics Specifications The YUCO’s small size and robustness allow it to be launched from large vessels, or dropped into water from a height without damage or disorientation