Hanwha Systems’ autonomous underwater drone can be operated for more than 12 hours in a group of four and provide 3D images to users. (Hanwha Systems)
Hanwha Systems said Monday that it will develop autonomous underwater drone swarms for search and rescue missions by 2025.
According to the defense business unit of Hanwha Group, it has formed a consortium with partners including the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology for the 25 billion-won project ($22.4 million) commissioned by the Korea Institute of Marine Science and Technology Promotion.
“In bad weather conditions, human divers can’t be deployed due to poor visibility. Also, divers themselves can be put in danger due to strong currents. The swarm of underwater drones will have enhanced searching capabilities supported by precise detection abilities and real-time control technologies,” a Hanwha Systems official said.
In the project, Hanwha Systems will be responsible for developing algorithms for the navigation and the control of the underwater drone swarms and the sonar system for wide-area coverage and precise detection.
According to Verified Market Research, the market size of maritime autonomous unmanned vehicles and remotely operated vehicles is expected to reach 15.6 trillion won by 2027, from last year’s 5 trillion won.
By Kim Byung-wook (
kbw@heraldcorp.com)