Autonomous Robotic Deep Sea Lander
TURTLE II is an
autonomous robotic deep sea lander, which has been developed by INESC TEC, the Autonomous Systems Laboratory (LSA)
of the School of Engineering of the Polytechnic Institute of Porto (ISEP), the Portuguese
Navy Research Centre (CINAV), and A. Silva Matos
Metalomecânica (the latter was the leader of the consortium). It is operating since 2019.
TURTLE is a hybrid
lander, being capable of staying at the bottom of the sea for long periods of
time, but also of autonomously relocating itself and surfacing for maintenance
operations. It is also able to dive and ascend with high-energy
efficiency, and its autonomous capabilities allow for reduced operational costs
and flexibility.