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The MIT Spurdog Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV)


The MIT Spurdog Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) is a new platform developed to support AUV research and education, motivated by reducing risk via maintaining low costs, low production time, and being highly modular. The core vehicle costs under $3,000 USD and employs a modular architecture using commercially available components and custom parts that can be produced through several manufacturing methods (SLA printing, urethane casting, injection molding, and CNC manufacturing). This manufacturing flexibility allows the design to be adapted for different research requirements or operating environments while maintaining its basic architecture.

A key innovation of the Spurdog is its Sequential Coupling System (SCS), which facilitates the integration of payload modules through standardized mechanical, power, and communication interfaces. This approach allows researchers to develop payload modules independently without requiring modifications to the core vehicle systems. The vehicle includes optional 8020 rails for payload mounting and ballasting, a removable mast, and interchangeable fins that permit adjustment of control authority without accessing the pressure vessel. Intermediate flooded sections enable simple routing of cables outside and around the vehicle while preserving independent pressure chambers to reduce operational risk and improve chances of recovery.

The Spurdog's patent-pending Trident aft section provides three-axis control and houses critical vehicle interfaces for operators, thus enabling truly sequentially coupled payloads. With its “A-size” compatible fins, the Spurdog can be configured to fit within a 4.5" outer diameter profile, making it suitable for standard deployment methods. The modular design supports quick payload changes and integration in the field to facilitate testing and experimentation. Integrating a payload is reduced to two connectors, six screws, and software configuration through open and templated interfaces (optional).

The platform has been developed and tested to support research in multi-agent cross-domain autonomy and underwater swarms, while also enabling novel and critical research in navigation and control. The Spurdog design and documentation is planned to be made available through open-source licensing for academic and research institutions starting in March 2025. Researchers interested in learning more about the platform can contact the development team via email for additional information.

Figure 1.2: Spurdog AUV configured with a variety of payload modules (i.e. dedicated WHOI MicroModem regular payload, and two different terminating payloads).

Figure 1.3: Intermediate sequential coupling flanges.

Dimensions (min)(LxD):38" x 4.5"
Weight (min):18 lbs
Depth rating (est):150'
Frontseat computer:Raspberry Pi 4 + Navigator Flight Controller
Thruster:M200 Motor with custom propeller
Status:Ongoing since Jan 2024
Sponsor(s):In-house funded, and Saab
Max Speed :3.5 m/s (Conservative, Empirically Estimated)
People:Ray Turrisi (Lead), Haojing Huang, Filip Stromstad, John Morrison, Alan Papalia, John Leonard, Mike Benjamin
Software:MOOS-IvP public codebase, ROS2

Recent Publications


2024 (2 items)

  1. Raymond Turrisi, Haojing Huang, Filip Stromstad, John Morrison, Alan Papalia, John Leonard, Michael Benjamin, The Spurdog AUV: A Field Configurable and Optionally A-Sized Low-Cost AUV, 2024 IEEE/OES Autonomous Underwater Vehicles Symposium (AUV), Boston, MA, USA, October, 2024. (bibtex)
  2. Raymond Turrisi, Michael R. Benjamin, A Feature-Rich and Modular Aft Section for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles: The Trident Series of Tailcones, OCEANS 2024 Conference and Exhibition, Halifax, NS, Canada, October, 2024. (bibtex)

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