SEABER team has developed a range of several micro-AUVs carefully designed toward customers’ key expectations: high reliability, precise navigation and lean deployment. YUCO micro-AUV aims for a new way to use AUVS by being single-task and affordable.
Reflecting SEABER’s co-founders, YUCO gathers boldness, innovation, reliability and efficiency.
The name YUCO finds its roots in the Patagonian Selk’nam tribe whose people had reputation to be
stiff and resilient to extreme environments.
YUCO is an uniquely reliable tool combining exceptional performances and low maintenance, which is operable in all types of coastal waters.
AUVs robustness is an important point and the first risk for an AUV is water leaks, for instance in the mast area and the fins.
To ensure perfect sealing, YUCO is compartmented in 2 sections. The dry section located in the middle and rear area hosts everything dedicated to navigation, including batteries, actuators, localization sensors and embedded electronics. The wet section located in the front (nose) hosts the payloads (measurement devices) which are accessible to users and also embeds all necessary connectors, for quick plug-and-play integration of new sensors.
SEABER team developed their own accurate navigation system for YUCO micro-AUVs, the INX©. Based on in-house advanced underwater navigation algorithms and being fully owned development, INX© provides full mastering of the navigation performances. This gives SEABER the capability to evaluate and tune the thinnest parameter, to optimize and continuously improve the navigation experience.
SEABER has created a wide range of AUVs adapted to various missions.
YUCO micro-AUV combines
small size, with high navigation accuracy, great maneuvrability, and high speed.
Thanks to its proprietary INX© navigation solution, YUCO is the only micro-AUV to have navigation accuracy performances close to high-class AUVs without requiring any external acoustics elements (LBL, USBL). So does not require any operator “following” the AUV and really uses YUCO as a fully autonomous underwater platform. Combined with DVL (Doppler Velocity Logger) YUCO micro-AUV can compensate for the current and keep great navigation performances in coastal waters.
YUCO micro-UUV can be launched from RHIB and start its mission once at a certain depth. If deploying YUCO underwater vehicle from a big vessel or from the shore the SEACOMM UHF handheld command unit allows starting the YUCO up to 2km distance, the YUCO AUV will then dive autonomously.
At the end of its mission, YUCO underwater vehicle comes back to the designated GPS location. It will automatically emit its position so that bearing and distance from YUCO can be visualized from the SEACOMM unit. The SEACOMM unit is also equipped with GPS, the operator can whether get close to the YUCO or send a “come-back-to-me” command.
YUCO micro-UUV only weights between 7kg and 9kg in air. Its mast handle makes it very easy to recover.
YUCO programming offers a wide range of navigation patterns in order to monitor the depth layers that are to be monitored. With an embedded depth sensor and optional altimeter or DVL (Doppler Velocity Logger) YUCO micro-AUV can keep navigation whether from the surface or simply follow the ground.
With more than 60 km navigational range and more to 5 knots speed capability, YUCO micro-AUV is ideally suited to cover a wide area.
Paolo Mazzone
SubEng – HSE Adviser
Cover and Article Image Courtesy of SEABER
Video Courtesy of SEABER
