Northwestern Polytechnical University sets underwater drone swarm record

A team from Northwestern Polytechnical University and Xian Tianhe Maritime Technologies has set a Guinness World Record for the largest number of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) operating simultaneously. During a test conducted on August 29 in a 50-meter by 20-meter pool, a swarm of 116 TH-618 drones successfully navigated a preset route for 34 minutes without human intervention.

The TH-618 drones, each measuring approximately 61.5 cm in length and weighing 5.14 kg, utilized real-time data and a camera-based navigation system to maintain formation and correct for external disturbances. The university noted that achieving stable, coordinated movement for hundreds of underwater vehicles is a significant challenge in smart underwater equipment due to limited bandwidth and visibility.

Each drone in the swarm has a maximum range of 30 km and a battery life exceeding eight hours. This demonstration represents a milestone in the development of large-scale coordinated unmanned underwater systems.