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MIT lab improves human and AUV interactions
24th Jun 2026
The project seeks to combine the strengths of humans and robots - cropped (image: MIT)
Researchers at MIT Lincoln Laboratory in the US are developing hardware and algorithms to improve collaboration between human divers and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), with potential applications ranging from subsea cable inspection to countermine operations. The project, carried out by the lab’s Advanced Undersea Systems and Technology Group, seeks to combine the respective strengths of humans and robots in demanding underwater environments.
As principal investigator Madeline Miller notes, divers and AUVs generally do not team up at all underwater. Manipulation tasks requiring human dexterity, such as repairing infrastructure or deactivating a mine, fall entirely to the diver, while