Brief
Chinese university team breaks Guinness record with 116 autonomous underwater drones
The record was achieved on 29 August in a 50 m × 20 m pool, with the drones navigating autonomously for 34 minutes.
By Felo News Desk · Published
A team from Northwestern Polytechnical University, working with Xian Tianhe Maritime Technologies, set a Guinness World Record for the most autonomous underwater vehicles operating simultaneously, deploying 116 TH‑618 drones in a pool test on 29 August, according to Independent.
The trial took place in a 50 m by 20 m swimming pool, where the drones performed formation navigation without human input for 34 minutes over a 500 m route. Guinness officials supervised and later certified the record.
The TH‑618 vehicles are 61.5 cm long, weigh 5.14 kg, and can travel up to 30 km with battery life exceeding eight hours. They use a mobile‑phone‑vision camera system to adjust routes in real time.
The university said the achievement demonstrates a breakthrough in large‑scale coordinated navigation of underwater unmanned systems, a core challenge in the field.
Key facts
- 116 TH‑618 autonomous underwater drones were operated simultaneously. (independent.co.uk)
- The test lasted 34 minutes and covered 500 m in a 50 m × 20 m pool. (independent.co.uk)
- Guinness World Records officials certified the record on 24 September. (independent.co.uk)
- The drones are 61.5 cm long, weigh 5.14 kg, and have a 30 km range with over eight‑hour battery life. (independent.co.uk)
Sources
- [1] independent.co.uk — originally reported as “Chinese team sets world record with underwater drones”
