A computing apparatus that is integrated within a flotation module, the system obtaining the energy required to power its computing operations from waves that travel across the surface of a body of water on which the flotation module sets. Additionally, the self-powered computing apparatus employs novel designs to utilize its close proximity to the body of water and/or to strong ocean winds to significantly lower the cost and complexity of cooling their computing circuits.

A power system for an unmanned surface vehicle is disclosed. In one embodiment, the power system includes a fuel cell, a fuel storage, and an air management system. The fuel cell includes a fuel cell stack. The fuel cell stack includes a fuel inlet, an air inlet, and an exhaust outlet. The fuel storage includes at least one fuel-storage module fluidly connected to the fuel inlet of the fuel cell stack. The fuel-storage module is a source of energy for the fuel cell. The air management system is fluidly connected to the air inlet and the exhaust outlet of the fuel cell. An air snorkel is part of the air management system and provides air to operate the fuel cell while the unmanned surface vehicle is deployed on a surface of a body of water. The air snorkel includes an intake and an exhaust.

Disclosed, as a device for correcting the horizontality of the small ship according to the present invention, is a device for controlling the horizontality of a small ship by using a variable mast, the device comprising: a tilt sensing unit for sensing the tilt of the small ship; a position adjustment unit formed such that at least a portion thereof can move in the horizontal direction on the deck of the small ship, and having a separate mast loaded on an upper part thereof to support the mast such that the mast is located at a predetermined height or higher; and a horizontality control unit for correcting the center of gravity of the small ship by adjusting a position of the mast through the position adjustment unit in correspondence to the tilt sensed by the tilt sensing unit.

A wave-powered water vehicle includes a surface float, a submerged swimmer, and a tether which connects the float and the swimmer, so that the swimmer moves up and down as a result of wave motion. The swimmer includes one or more fins which interact with the water as the swimmer moves up and down, and generate forces which propel the vehicle forward. The vehicle, which need not be manned, can carry communication and control equipment so that it can follow a course directed by signals sent to it, and so that it can record or transmit data from sensors on the vehicle.

An unmanned seismic vessel system can include a hull system configured to provide buoyancy and a storage apparatus configured for storing one or more seismic nodes, each seismic node having at least one seismic sensor configured to acquire seismic data. A deployment system can be configured for deploying the seismic nodes from the storage apparatus to the water column, where the seismic data are responsive to a seismic wavefield, with a controller configured to operate the deployment system so that the seismic nodes are automatically deployed in a seismic array.

An unmanned semi-submarine, including a main hull; airfoil buoyancy chambers; an antenna; a radar; a propeller; a rudder; and compartments. The airfoil buoyancy chambers include a front buoyancy chamber and a rear buoyancy chamber. The front buoyancy chamber and the rear airfoil buoyancy chamber are longitudinally distributed on the main hull. The radar and the antenna are disposed on the top end of the front buoyancy chamber. The rudder is disposed on the rear buoyancy chamber. The propeller is disposed at the tail of the main hull to drive the unmanned semi-submarine. The horizontal sections of the front buoyancy chamber and the rear buoyancy chamber are symmetrical airfoil. The compartments include a front equipment compartment, a rear equipment compartment, a control equipment compartment, a battery compartment, and a propelling compartment. The compartments are separated from one another using watertight walls.

An unmanned surface vehicle (USV) including a main body; a slideway; and an automatic recovery unit. The slideway includes pulleys, slide rails, sleepers, end plates disposed at two sides of the sleepers, and baffle plates. The automatic recovery unit includes a buoy, a connection rod, a downhaul, an electromagnetic fixer, a winch, an upper cable, a storage box, and a recovery net. The slideway is fixed on the afterdeck of the main body and the tail end of the slideway sticks out the side boundary of the afterdeck. The baffle plates are disposed on the upper end of the end plates. The vertical height of the end plates is larger than the maximum vertical height of the pulleys and the slide rails. The baffle plates on the upper end of the end plates limit the displacement of the buoy in the vertical direction.

Many different types of systems are utilized or tasks are performed in a marine environment. The present invention provides various configurations of unmanned vehicles, or drones, that can be operated and/or controlled for such systems or tasks. One or more unmanned vehicles can be integrated with a dedicated marine electronic device of a marine vessel for autonomous control and operation. Additionally or alternatively, the unmanned vehicle can be manually remote operated during use in the marine environment. Such unmanned vehicles can be utilized in many different marine environment systems or tasks, including, for example, navigation, sonar, radar, search and rescue, video streaming, alert functionality, among many others. However, as contemplated by the present invention, the marine environment provides many unique challenges that may be accounted for with operation and control of an unmanned vehicle.

Various examples are provided related to autonomous unmanned drone-tethered sonar systems. In one embodiment, a bathy-drone system includes an unmanned payload vessel and an unmanned drone tethered to the payload vessel through the tether attachment point. The unmanned payload vessel can include a sensor or sensor suite coupled to a bottom of the payload vessel and a tether attachment point through which propulsive force can be applied to the payload vessel. The drone can autonomously transport the payload vessel to and from a survey location and autonomously propel the payload vessel along a survey path at the survey location.

An unmanned maritime vehicle (UMV) pin array release and capture chamber system includes a chamber assembly having two parallel plates of pin arrays from which a plurality of pins extends and retract vertically opposite each other so as to release and capture a UMV. The pin arrays are separated from each other by a space having two vertical and two horizontal sides, and the space is sized so as to receive the UMV. Each pin arrays may be housed in a pin array chamber enclosure. The chamber assembly may be attached to a moving object, such as a naval vessel, above or below the surface of water, or may be stationary with respect to the water movement, or may be stationary with respect to the ground such as a pier.