Engineers are developing the Autosub for many of the same reasons that they developed unmanned spacecraft to collect data from Earth orbit or from the surface of other planets. The ocean surface, like the surface of other planets and moons, can present formidable obstacles to human exploration. Scorching or freezing temperatures, high winds, and large waves can sometimes conspire to make traditional ocean research uncomfortable and even dangerous. The ocean is also vast and deep. Robotic vehicles provide a means to explore large areas of the ocean's surface and depths relatively quickly and inexpensively.
Satellites can only view the upper few meters of the ocean's surface.
The Autosub is being developed by ocean engineers at the Southampton Oceanography Centre in England . A set of 2,500 D-cell batteries power its engine and electronic systems, allowing the vehicle to travel as far as 200 kilometers, at depths of up to 500 meters. Engineers can fit the Autosub with a number of different electronic sensors for measuring temperature, salinity, nutrients, and other ocean properties. They can also program a route into the Autosub's onboard navigational computer, then launch the vehicle from a ship or from land. During its voyage, the Autosub periodically rises to the surface and uploads its data via satellite to researchers who are safe and dry on shore.