The University of Gothenburg in Sweden has acquired a new autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) from Norwegian unmanned systems manufacturer Kongsberg Discovery.
The AUV will have a maximum diving depth of 3,000 metres. It will replace Ran, the university's earlier unmanned vehicle, which was lost under an Antarctic glacier in 2024.
"Thanks to Ran, we became the first researchers in the world to enter beneath the Thwaites grounding-line glacier," said Anna Wåhlin, professor of oceanography, who led the expedition with Ran in Antarctica.
"Although ice melt and movement can be observed through satellite data, we were able to get close-up images of the underside of the ice and detailed information about the exact mechanisms driving the melting."
"The new vehicle Ran II will have better capacity than Ran, with more robust emergency decision support and improved navigation," added Stene Førsund, Executive Vice President for Sales and Marketing at Kongsberg Discovery. "These upgrades enhance both safety and precision in hard-to-reach environments such as beneath glaciers, [in] sea ice, and near the seabed."
