▲ PIRO-U3, the underwater robot

The Pohang Institute of Intelligent Robotics (PIRO) has developed a multi-functional underwater robot, named PIRO-U3. PIRO-U3 is designed to sweep the floor of any underwater environment, freshwater or seawater, as its main function.

Till now, reservoirs have been drained and cleaned manually. The floors of freshwater lakes and the shallow sea were cleaned by equipped divers. With the robot, the risks that the divers have to take will be minimized. And the whole cleaning session will be as  unmanned as possible.

PIRO-U3 was field tested near the beach in the coastal waters off Pohang to determine whether the robot could bring sand, lost by the ebb, back to the beach. The test was successful and the practice showed one of The possibilities of its use. Haeundae Beach has been suffering from a loss of sand, experiencing a 50% decrease from 88,000 square meters to 44,000 square meters in the last 50 years.

More importantly, in development of PIRO-U3, the team acquired the key technologies to build robots for aquanautics, offshore drilling and catastrophe-monitoring. The derivative of the development may possibly impose a greater influence in the market.

Jinho Seo, the chief of the team, said, “We are seeking to further span the commercialization of diverse robot technologies through intelligent robotics.”