Kongsberg Maritime’s HUGIN AUV has been selected by the University of Gothenburg, and the AUV will be used to expand the capabilities of Sweden in the field of marine research, using unmanned vehicles and platforms.

The AUV, which is expected to be delivered in February 2018, will be recognized “as a national asset for marine research projects around Sweden and further afield.”

“In order to map the ocean environment to the degree that vital climate change research requires, we need to focus more on increasing our use of autonomous observation platforms,” says  Anna Wåhlin, Professor in Oceanography, University of Gothenburg, through an article from Marine Technology News.

“Our new HUGIN AUV will significantly expand our ability to map ice, seabed, and explore marine environments previously inaccessible to us. We are confident that HUGIN will become an important tool in our on-going research in waters closer to Sweden, for example, in the Skagerrak and the Baltic Sea in addition to projects in the Antarctic and Arctic."

The HUGIN AUV chosen by the University of Gothenburg has a configuration rated to 3,000 meters, and a range of up to 300 kilometers.

The AUV will be equipped with an advanced Kongsberg navigation system, as well as a comprehensive package of instruments and sensors from Kongsberg and third parties.

Kongsberg is also expected to deliver a “HUGIN Operator Station (HOS) Payload Operator Station (POS) and Acoustic Positioning Operator Station (APOS) for communication and full control of the HUGIN and payload from the mothership.”

Grants from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation will fund the HUGIN AUV, and a project team with representatives from the University of Gothenburg, Chalmers University of Technology and Stockholm University will manage the AUV.