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Unmanned Surface Vehicles (frequently abbreviated as USVs) are boats or other watercraft that ride upon the surface of the water without a crew. Development of USVs, also sometimes referred to as Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASVs) or Autonomous Surface Craft (ASCs), began in 1993 at the MIT Sea Grant College Program with the creation of ARTEMIS, a small-scale replica of a fishing trawler used to test navigation and control systems. More recently, USVs have become of intense interest to the U.S. Navy, which in 2021 researched and offered competitive funding opportunities for USVs.
The ROAZ II, a modern example of a USV. (Source: ICARUS)
USV development began in 1993 at the MIT Sea Grant College Program. The first vehicle produced from the program was called ARTEMIS, a small-scale fishing trawler capable of testing navigation and control systems required by a USV. Although ARTEMIS had several shortcomings, such as the craft's small size and testing being limited to the Charles River, it was a significant step forward in USV technology. MIT also experimented with a kayak-like USV outfitted with acoustic tracking systems that were able to successfully follow a tagged fish.
MIT's Autocat, Circa 2000.
After ARTEMIS, MIT began developing a new USV during 1996 and 1997 called ACES, or the Autonomous Coastal Exploration System. ACES was tested in the field in Gloucester, MA in the summer of 1997. Following completion of these trials, the craft was outfitted with hydrographic survey sensors and tested again. After ACES successfully completed a hydrographic survey in the Boston Harbor in December of 1997, it was brought back to the lab and given more modifications, as well as a new name, the Autocat, in the year 2000.
The early work by MIT's Sea Grant College Program inspired other institutions to start work on USV programs, including the U.S. Navy. While the navy initially focused on the development of unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), it increased focus on its USV program with the release of its Navy USV Master Plan in 2007. In the years following, the Navy has dedicated much time and research into developing next generation USVs, with the end goal of creating a USV that is completely autonomous.
U.S. Navy interest in development of unmanned surface vehicles increased significantly in 2021. In July 2021, the Navy announced a challenge in collaboration with the 401 Tech Bridge School and NavalX Northeast Tech Bridge, offering a $50,000 prize for a proposal of a USV design that could be used for waterside security. Further specifications from the Navy stated that the proposed USV must be low-maintenance, be reusable, have the ability to be produced or assembled on site in under two hours, fit in a standard 20-foot shipping container, and be able to carry or tow an assortment of payloads .
The Navy also sent a report to the U.S. Congress in 2021, detailing the specifications for several large USVs and UUVs that were in development. In the report, the Navy outlined its desire to procure and develop three types of unmanned vehicles: Large Unmanned Surface Vehicles (LUSVs), Medium Unmanned Surface Vehicles (MUSVs) and Extra-Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicles (XLUUVs). The Navy requested $434.1 million in research and development funding for the large UVs and their enabling technologies.
