The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology selected the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) technology developed by the Republic of Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute (KORDI; President KANG Jung-keuk) as one of the 100 best national R&D project outcomes of 2010.

AUVs can be used to investigate sub-surface pollution of coastal and offshore waters and rivers of Republic of Korea, produce precise underwater topographical charts, and conduct coastal surveillance, exploration of sunken ships and other xss-objects, and port surveillance. In the future, they may be used for even more purposes such as exploration of deep-sea resources and their development to tap hydrothermal deposits and deep-sea mineral deposits.

The AUV technology is an outcome of R&D commissioned by the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs to KORDI. At the beginning of the project, Republic of Korea had almost no research experience in the area: KORDI had to start from scratch, but successfully developed technology comparable to that of advanced countries. This is why the project is drawing much attention as a resounding success: It not only bolstered the country’s marine development, but also pioneered a new business area.

There are countries that successfully commercialized AUVs, but they refuse to transfer their technology, indicating the strategic implications of AUV technology.

In August this year, KORDI transferred the AUV technology to Hanhwa Corporation for a royalty of 7.5 billion KRW for its commercialization, the biggest technology transfer of all the 2010 R&D projects of the ministry.

An AUV can propel and steer itself underwater by automatic judgment control and position recognition. It also renders itself to wireless remote control and can move back and forth between underwater stations to repeatedly perform tasks.

When used for other purposes including national defense, the technology is expected to help improve national competitiveness, advance marine engineering technology, and open up doors for new marine industries.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has announced that it is planning to exhibit the top 100 research outcomes at the Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies (KOFST) from December 20 to 23, 2010.

Dr. LEE Pan-mook, a senior researcher who led the AUV technology development effort, is going to receive a plaque of recognition for his feat at “The 2010 Top 100 National R&D 100 Outcomes” event to be held at the Seoul Education and Culture Center on December 6.

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