Multi-disciplinary engineering design of a high-speed nature-inspired unmanned aquatic vehicle

Abstract

Recently, small unmanned vehicles have increased their technological importance and practical relevance in private and public interest maritime applications. However, due to this technology's novelty and early stages, complex challenges in engineering design remain unsolved. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to demonstrate the development of an innovative high-speed Unmanned Aquatic Vehicle (UAV) with the inclusion of robust and multi-objective optimization-based methods. This work implemented four robust optimization methods (e.g., efficient low drag generation, theoretical calculation, the production of hydrodynamic forces, and fluid-structure interaction) to design, components, performance, and material optimization. Furthermore, robust computational simulations and mathematical modelling were applied during the engineering design process. The main research findings show that the version of the UAV developed is optimized and able to operate in several working conditions in oceanic applications. Findings also complement previous related studies and offer novel technological alternatives for maritime applications and species detection in complex oceanic conditions. Finally, the aspects of theoretical significance and application value of the research are discussed in the paper.