Progress Report

Development of Unmanned Marine Observation Vehicles to Contribute to Forecasting and Monitoring of Typhoon Artificial Control[3] Test operation under stormy environment in the tropical northwestern Pacific Ocean

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Progress until FY2024

1. Outline of the project

We conduct open ocean tests of virtual mooring drone (VMD) prototypes in the tropical Northwest Pacific Ocean, a region where many typhoons are generated and develop, during R/V Mirai cruises to validate hull control, navigation, communication, and accuracy of atmosphere-ocean sensors in stormy condition with strong wind and high waves.
In 2024, to verify weather resistance of VMD in typhoon-level stormy conditions, Mirai western North Pacific/Bering Sea cruise was selected, where extreme wind and wave conditions were more likely. International coordination for maritime research and safety measures such as deck operation procedures were prepared, ensuring a secure open ocean test under stormy conditions.

Fig.1
Fig. 1 R/V Mirai used for open-ocean tests of prototypes. A-frame crane on the aft deck (blue dashed circle) and other equipment used for deployment and retrieval of the VM drone prototypes. C-band radar (yellow dashed circle) and various atmosphere-ocean sensors equipped with the vessel are used to validate data obtained by the prototypes.

2. Outcome so far

  1. In 2023, VMD prototype #2 underwent its first short-term open ocean test east of the Philippines, a key typhoon generation area, during R/V Mirai tropical Northwest Pacific cruise (June–July).
  2. International coordination was conducted with relevant countries before submitting Marine Scientific Research (MSR) application through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Comprehensive safety measures were prepared, including deck operation procedures for deployment and recovery of VMD, ensuring a safe test without losing the prototype.
  3. To verify the weather resistance of the further improved VMD prototype #3, the final open ocean test was conducted in 2024 during R/V Mirai western North Pacific/Bering Sea cruise (MR24-07 Leg 1, October–November), where typhoon-level strong wind and wave conditions were expected. As in the previous year, thorough appropriate preparation and stringent safety measures ensured a successful test without any incidents.
Fig.2
Fig. 2 Deployment of VMD prototype #2 from aft deck to the ocean surface during R/V Mirai tropical ocean cruise). After this, it is lifted by blue A-frame crane (Fig. 1) seen on both sides of the photo, and the crane arm is swung out to sea from the aft deck to safely and slowly land on the water.
Fig.3
Fig. 3 R/V Miriai' 2024 western North Pacific/Bering Sea cruise (MR24-07 Leg 1) used for the final open ocean test (bottom left), wind conditions near the test area (top left), and VMD prototype #3 undergoing testing in strong winds with a rolling angle of up to 70° (right).

3. Future plans

One of the future development challenges is ensuring long-term operation in the vicinity of typhoons. To achieve this, open ocean tests based on autonomous return (recovery) from coastal areas like Okinawa are essential. We will continue part of the development through the K Program.

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