An ocean going autonomous underwater vehicle "URASHIMA" equipped with a fuel cell

An ocean going autonomous underwater vehicle "URASHIMA" had its birth at Japan Marine Science and Technology Center (JAMSTEC) in 1998, aiming to obtain the solutions against various disorders occurring in the ocean and on the Earth, such as global warming, climate changes, earthquakes, volcanic activity and so on. "URASHIMA", which was equipped with a lithium-ion rechargeable battery and hardware and software, was improved gradually in the first development stage from 2000 to 2002. In 2003, as the second development stage, "URASHIMA" aiming at a longer cruise of 300 kilometers was equipped with a solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) as the electric power source instead of the lithium-ion rechargeable battery. In the near future, "URAHISMA" will achieve a cruise of over 300 kilometers and a challenging expedition under ice plates in the Arctic Sea and observe in various areas where ROVs and manned submersibles have not approached until now. We show key technologies and systems of URAHISMA, and report the successful results obtained until now.