AUV System Spec Sheet

MolaMola configuration

Platform: SeaBED
Manufacturer: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Commercial Operator: National Institute for Undersea Science and Technology

Summary

Autonomous Undersea Vehicle MolaMola

NIUST’s newest addition to its AUV fleet is a SeaBED class AUV. This AUV was developed by Dr. Hanumant Singh, a WHOI scientist and his colleagues. The AUV, now dubbed MolaMola, after the Ocean Sunfish, can either fly slowly or hover over the seafloor at depths down to 6,000 feet (2,000 meters), making it particularly suited to collect highly detailed sonar and optical images of the seafloor. Maintaining a constant altitude and speed of ½ knot, MolaMola will be used to fly about 8 feet (2.5 meters) above the seafloor, flashing its strobe light and snapping a photo every three seconds.