Taiwan institutes host underwater unmanned vehicle forum
台灣研究院舉辦水下遙控無人載具論壇
| Forum highlights UUV applications in research, exploration, and rescue
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The National Academy of Marine Research and National Sun Yat-sen University on Wednesday co-hosted a forum on remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), uncrewed underwater vehicles controlled from a ship or onshore location via a cable that transmits signals and power. Attendees included National Academy of Marine Research Vice President Weng Chien-erh (翁健二), Chen Yen-shuo (陳碩彥) representing the Metal Industries Research and Development Centre, and National Sun Yat-sen University Undersea Technology Institute Professor Wang Chau-chang (王兆璋). They discussed applications in scientific research, ocean exploration, search and rescue operations, environmental monitoring, and talent development, per CNA. The event featured six presentations and panel discussions. It also showcased domestically developed ROVs and offered hands-on demonstrations in the university’s conference hall, where the forum was held. Weng said the marine environment is complex and underwater operations are highly dangerous, making them unsuitable for prolonged human activity. He added that using unmanned vehicles to replace manual underwater work has become a growing trend. Wang shared nearly 30 years of experience in developing ROVs, including design, assembly, and integration. He noted that Taiwan has a limited talent pool in this field and faces challenges in retaining skilled professionals, urging the government to provide greater support for the sector. Taiwan previously lacked comprehensive ROV talent training courses, forcing practitioners to spend significant amounts of money on overseas training and certifications, the institute said. The agency added that it has established talent cultivation courses in this field and hopes domestic enterprises will collaborate to enrich the curriculum. The university’s Underwater Vehicle R&D Research Center has partnered with domestic research institutes and companies to develop unmanned underwater vehicles and related equipment. These are being applied in areas such as offshore wind power generation, ocean current power generation, submarine mineral resource surveys, and underwater rescue. The university has also developed an underwater vehicle capable of operating at a depth of 4,000 meters, equipped with photography and mapping functions. |
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| Carol Yang, Taiwan News, Staff Writer | |
| 2025-06-25 |
