Robot crane for underwater vehicles automatic launching and retrieval

The authors describe a handling system for automatically launching and recovering remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), or autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). They address the basic concept of the patented design, the system configuration, the operational concepts, and the development history. The system consists of the ROV/AUV interface, the handling unit, the crane unit, and the electronic remote control system. Sea trials confirmed the validity of the design of the prototype equipment.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>