China has set a Guinness World Record by successfully operating 116 small underwater drones simultaneously in a swimming pool during an experimental demonstration.
The achievement marks a new record for the largest number of underwater vehicles operated simultaneously.
The test was conducted on August 29 in a swimming pool measuring 50 meters long and 20 meters wide. The demonstration was carried out under the direct supervision of officials from Guinness World Records, who subsequently verified and officially published the record.
A research team from Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU) achieved the record using a swarm of underwater drones known as TH-618. According to a university statement published on September 24, the project was conducted with support from Xi’an Tianhe Defense Technology, a Chinese defense contractor, and its marine equipment supplier affiliate, Xi’an Tianhe Maritime Technologies.
116 Underwater Drones Operated Autonomously
During the demonstration, the drones were launched into the water one after another. Without human intervention, the underwater drone swarm used real-time information and followed predetermined routes.
The 116 autonomous underwater vehicles traveled together along a 500-meter underwater route for 34 minutes.
Northwestern Polytechnical University said that enabling dozens or even hundreds of underwater vehicles to operate in a fully autonomous, coordinated and sustained manner has long been considered a major challenge in the field of underwater intelligent systems.
The university said the successful navigation of such a large and stable group of underwater vehicles represents a major advancement in large-scale coordinated navigation for unmanned underwater systems.
TH-618 Underwater Drone Specifications
Each TH-618 underwater drone measures approximately 61.5 centimeters in length and 20 centimeters in width and weighs about 5.14 kilograms.
The drone reportedly has a maximum operating range of 30 kilometers and a battery endurance of more than eight hours.
The underwater drones use a vision camera system to navigate and can automatically adjust their routes to avoid obstacles and other underwater hazards.
China Advances Drone Swarm Technology
The record comes as militaries around the world increasingly move away from crewed platforms and explore unmanned systems, autonomous vehicles and drone swarm technology.
China has been rapidly advancing drone swarm technology across land, air and maritime environments, including the development of autonomous underwater systems.
In December, Ukraine said it had used an underwater drone to attack a submarine for the first time in history. The reported attack targeted a Russian vessel that was docked in the Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk.
In July, researchers from Dalian Maritime University and the China Coast Guard Academy published a proposal for using coordinated drone swarms to help protect disputed islands in the South China Sea.
The proposal included using underwater vehicles to help cover gaps in detection and surveillance.
The research paper was published in the Chinese-language journal Command Control and Simulation, which operates under the supervision of the state-owned China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC).
Underwater Drone Swarms Being Tested Worldwide
China is not the only country or region exploring underwater drone swarm technology.
According to information from the European Commission, underwater swarm robotics has also been tested in other parts of the world. One EU-funded project involved a coordinated group of 41 autonomous robots designed to operate underwater.
The latest Chinese demonstration highlights the rapid development of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), underwater drones, unmanned underwater systems and swarm robotics.
The ability to coordinate large numbers of autonomous underwater vehicles could have applications in areas such as maritime surveillance, underwater mapping, ocean research, search and rescue, environmental monitoring and defense-related operations.
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