REMUS Automated Target Recognition Trial at Jervis Bay

An Important Step in Trusted Autonomy

Trials at ‘Summerfest 2019’ at Jervis Bay in December 2019 demonstrated the feasibility of transmitting images of contacts detected automatically by REMUS Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) to an operations centre located at a remote distance from the minefield. This is potentially an important step in achieving trusted autonomy.

Summerfest 2019 marine autonomy trials at Jervis Bay were conducted as a collaboration between DSTG, RAN, academia and industry.

The aim of Summerfest 2019 was to demonstrate an enhanced Speed of Advance (SoA) using Unmanned Maritime Systems (UMS) to support search, location and identification of Mine Like Objects (MMLOs). Using this approach enabled activities that are currently conducted in series, with delays for data handling and analysis, to happen in parallel. Automated Target Recognition (ATR) was operated in real-time cueing other systems for classification, identification and disposal as soon as suspect objects were discovered.

An Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) was tasked over a minefield as a ‘Communications Gateway’ relaying information and data between a DST REMUS UUV in the minefield and a manned vessel, MV Kimbla, standing off at a safe distance. The ATR on the REMUS UUV was able to report positions of mine contacts immediately via the acoustic relay to the USV, and then this data was relayed to back to the operations centre.

When surfaced, the REMUS transmitted snippets of side scan sonar data for the ATR contacts to the USV and then back to the operations centre. At the operations centre re-tasking of the REMUS could eb implemented using ‘reacquire’ missions based on analysis of the ATR snippets.

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Survey Teams are briefed on REMUS deployment at Jervis Bay.

REMUS 100 AUV equipped with hydrographic survey capability stands by for deployment at Jervis Bay.