Dear Colleagues,

Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) are an extremely heterogeneous group of vehicles of various sizes that are able to operate in a submarine environment with a certain degree of autonomy with respect to control by human beings, or being operated remotely. This category is so vast that it is often customary to group completely different systems under this common term, from simple robots of a few decimetres to large complex systems of several meters in length, equipped with energy autonomy and controlled without cables. They are equipped with a battery compartment for propulsion and operation of on-board systems, use wireless communication, and are generally acoustic, to receive instructions or to transfer collected data to the control station. They can be equipped with more or less reduced decision-making autonomy, depending on the model and the construction costs: the simplest AUVs are monitored by an operator who supervises the mission and transmits any changes to the tasks assigned in real time. Other more complex platforms have sophisticated self-navigation systems, using the GPS system or, much more frequently, appropriate acoustic buoys positioned in the area of interest, which continuously provide a reference on the position in three dimensions. Mission data can be pre-set and updated at regular intervals.

Considering their application fields, their use, even their dual use, will increase a lot in the near future.

For systems so complex, which are able to reach great depths, the payload for performing a mission using sensors to obtain the right control is considerable.

The Special Issue focuses on sensors addressed to the control of the AUV, that are able to perform specific tasks for specific missions; moreover, the Guest Editor encourages the scientific community to provide original research, even to correlated arguments.

This Issue will accept high-quality articles that contain original research results, and review articles, and will allow readers to learn more about technologies related to the potentiality of AUVs.

Therefore, articles reporting recent advances in sensor materials, sensor properties, sensor device concepts, sensor fabrication and testing techniques, application-oriented sensor systems, as well as closely-related topics, are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Fabio Leccese
Guest Editor

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•  Sonar
•  Magnetometer
•  Barometer
•  Accelerometer
•  Conductivity, tachometer, depth (CTD)
•  Environmental Sensors (temperature, salinity, oxygen, sea-point turbidity, and fluorescence)
•  Beam transmission
•  Chemical sensors
•  Inertial navigation system
•  Buoyancy system
•  Attitude system
•  New sensors for in-depth applications
•  Sensor network
•  Calibration, characterization, and testing techniques
•  Uncertainty evaluation
•  Reliability and failure analysis
•  Processes and fabrication technologies
•  Material research oriented to the development of sensors in water applications
•  Electronic interfaces, measurement chains, and system integration
•  Applications and markets, control and measurement systems
•  Operative scenario description (missions and tasks)
•  AUV designing
•  Integration support logistic.