Elaborating on the Semi-Autonomous Underwater Vehicle for Intervention
Missions (SAUVIM) developed by the University of Hawai’i, Dr. Choi
stated that this underwater vehicle was capable of autonomous
interventions on subsea installations. The 4-meter long vehicle was a
little bigger than a Sports Utility Vehicle, but it had the ability to
reach up to 6000 meters under water. “Though the deepest part of the
ocean is 12 kilometers, this vehicle is able to explore up to 80 per
cent of the depth of the ocean,” Dr. Choi said.
Myriad applications of SAUVIM include military uses like mine
detection, archeological survey, offshore oil exploration, studying
migration patterns of fish, scientific observation and sample
gathering, and undersea cultivation of rare vegetation.
The robot performs underwater operations on its own, and it is able to
return to its departure station courtesy of its integrated navigation
technology. While the vehicle enjoys six degrees of freedom, the
vehicle includes a 80-kilogram robotic arm, that has its own seven
degrees of freedom. The remarkable aspect about SAUVIM is that all
phases are executed without human intervention, despite very little
a-prior knowledge, Dr. Choi added.
Prior to delivering the lecture, Dr. Choi met with AIT Interim
President, Prof. Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai and discussed the possibility
of a formal engagement between AIT and University of Hawai’i. Prof.
Worsak also recollected his days at University of Hawai’i as a
Fulbright Scholar.
Deliberating on the modalities of a formal partnership, Dr. Choi
stated that while his initial interaction was focused on the field of
Water Engineering and Management with Dr. Sangam Shrestha, he wishes to
extend the scope to the broader field of Civil Engineering. Prof.
Kanchana Kanchanasut, Interim Vice President for Research; Prof. Kazuo
Yamamoto, Interim Vice President for Resource Development; Prof.
Voratas Kachitvichyanukul, Interim Dean of School of Engineering and
TEchnology (SET); Dr. Gregory Chiu and Dr. Sangam Shrestha of SET; Dr.
Gabrielle Groves, Head, External Relations and Communications Office
(ERCO) participated in the deliberations.
Later, Dr. Choi also interacted with faculty of SET and School of
Environment, Resources and Development (SERD), and visited AIT’s
Mechatronics Laboratory.
More details about University of Hawai'i are available at this
link: http://www.hawaii.edu
More details about the SAUVIM project are available at this
link: http://www4.eng.hawaii.edu/~asl/Sauvim/
