Autonomous underwater vehicles are described that are stackable with other like autonomous underwater vehicles on a suitable launch platform, such as within a vertical missile launch tube of a submarine, waiting to be deployed into the water. The underwater vehicles can be deployed or launched individually, in groups, or all together into the water. While stacked together, the stacked autonomous underwater vehicles can connect to one another or to external structure of the launch platform. In addition, the underwater vehicles can be positively buoyant or can be made to have controllable buoyancy to allow the underwater vehicles to float up and out of the launch platform during deployment without an external deployment force.

To make it possible to control an image capturing position and its direction in water easily and flexibly through the use of a miniature unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a plurality of rotors. This is solved by an underwater image capturing apparatus including a miniature unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a plurality of rotors, a winding machine capable of delivering and winding a string-like member, and an underwater camera capable of capturing images in water, wherein the winding machine is fixed to the miniature unmanned aerial vehicle and the string-like member is connected to the underwater camera.

An underwater vehicle comprising: port and starboard thrusters spaced apart in a port-starboard direction, each thruster being oriented to generate a thrust force in a fore-aft direction perpendicular to the port-starboard direction; a vertical thruster which is oriented to generate a thrust force substantially perpendicular to the fore-aft and port-starboard directions; port, starboard and vertical ducts which contain the port, starboard and vertical thrusters respectively, each duct providing a channel for water to flow through its respective thruster; and a moving mass which can be moved relative to the thrusters in the fore-aft direction to control a pitch of the underwater vehicle.

An underwater vehicle comprising: port and starboard thrusters spaced apart in a port-starboard direction, each thruster being oriented to generate a thrust force in a fore-aft direction perpendicular to the port-starboard direction; a vertical thruster which is oriented to generate a thrust force substantially perpendicular to the fore-aft and port-starboard directions; port, starboard and vertical ducts which contain the port, starboard and vertical thrusters respectively, each duct providing a channel for water to flow through its respective thruster; and a moving mass which can be moved relative to the thrusters in the fore-aft direction to control a pitch of the underwater vehicle.

A camera drone has an array of eight camera-light units arranged so as to enable capture of photographs and video providing a spherical 360??360? field of view. Such an expansive field of view enables image capture for use in virtual reality, augmented reality, and similar uses. The camera drone is preferably spherical in shape so as to minimize any obstructions in the expansive field of view. The camera drone is modular with separate but coordinated modules for a main body module, a base module along an equator of the main body, a thruster module, and a camera-light module. The camera drone is also capable of operation in air or water (submersible) having both a tethered and autonomous version.

A system for subsea operation is described, comprising a free swimming, submersible garage and docking station (10,10), and also an associated free swimming ROV (50), where the garage and docking station (10,10) comprises a framework (14) arranged to function as a garage (40) or docking (40) for the free swimming ROV (50), and where the submersible garage and docking station (10,10) comprises at least equipment in the form of several thrusters (16,18) for operation in the vertical and horizontal directions, respectively, units and a steering system for positioning in the water, and also a winch (12) connected to said ROV (50) via a cable (34) for the transfer of electricity and signals. The framework (14) of the garage and docking station (10,10) is manufactured from a material with buoyancy, and where the buoyancy of the framework is determined by the weight of the equipment mounted in the framework (14), so that a neutral or approximately neutral buoyancy in the water is provided for the garage and docking station (10,10).

Vehicles designed to use ground effect forces to control a positioning of the vehicle relative to a surface as well as their methods of use are described.

To make it possible to control an image capturing position and its direction in water easily and flexibly through the use of a miniature unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a plurality of rotors. This is solved by an underwater image capturing apparatus including a miniature unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a plurality of rotors, a winding machine capable of delivering and winding a string-like member, and an underwater camera capable of capturing images in water, wherein the winding machine is fixed to the miniature unmanned aerial vehicle and the string-like member is connected to the underwater camera.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a propulsion device and an underwater robot. The propulsion device includes a bracket, a first thruster, and a second thruster. A first chamber and a second chamber are defined in the bracket, and the first thruster and the second thruster are respectively arranged in the first chamber and the second chamber. In a stationary state, in the case that the first thruster acts as a horizontal thruster or a vertical thruster, the second thruster functions as a vector thruster; or in the case that the second thruster acts as a horizontal thruster or a vertical thruster, the first thruster functions as a vector thruster.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a propulsion device and an underwater robot. The propulsion device includes a bracket, a first thruster, and a second thruster. A first chamber and a second chamber are defined in the bracket, and the first thruster and the second thruster are respectively arranged in the first chamber and the second chamber. In a stationary state, in the case that the first thruster acts as a horizontal thruster or a vertical thruster, the second thruster functions as a vector thruster; or in the case that the second thruster acts as a horizontal thruster or a vertical thruster, the first thruster functions as a vector thruster.