Heterogeneous aquatic robot system: architecture and core technologies

Published in Robot Learning, this study reviews recent advances in heterogeneous aquatic robot systems, which integrate underwater, surface, and aerial robots to perform coordinated tasks in complex marine environments. It highlights key developments in communication, sensing, navigation, control, decision-making, and energy management. Real-world applications—from ocean monitoring to underwater archaeology—are discussed, along with technical challenges and future directions. This work offers a roadmap for building intelligent, collaborative robotic systems to support sustainable marine exploration.

This review article, authored by Dr. Weidong Zhang’s team from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, was recently published in the journal Robot Learning. Focusing on the increasingly prominent topic of heterogeneous aquatic robotic systems, the paper provides a comprehensive overview and analysis of the development status and future applications of key technologies in this field. The research team also includes scholars from Tongji University and Hainan University, reflecting the interdisciplinary and cross-institutional nature of the collaboration.

Heterogeneous aquatic robotic systems refer to intelligent systems composed of different types of robots working together, including underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), surface vessels, and aerial drones. Each type of robot offers unique capabilities, but it is through coordination and collaboration that these systems can effectively perform diverse tasks such as resource exploration, environmental monitoring, and emergency response in complex aquatic environments. The paper reviews the system from six major technical perspectives: communication, perception, navigation, control, decision-making, and energy management. In addition to summarizing the current research progress, it presents several representative engineering case studies.

The authors note that although these technologies have shown promising potential in various real-world applications, they still face significant challenges, such as signal attenuation in underwater communication, limited energy capacity, and unreliable perception in dynamic environments. These limitations hinder the performance of robotic systems in high-complexity tasks, highlighting the need for continued advancements in algorithms, hardware, and system architecture. The paper also outlines potential future directions, including the integration of multiple communication methods for improved data transmission, the use of deep learning to enhance autonomous decision-making, and multi-robot collaboration for greater intelligence and system robustness.

As a review article, the goal of this work is not to propose a single technological breakthrough, but rather to provide a structured and systematic summary that can serve as a reference point for future research. For researchers in the field, it may offer a helpful entry point to better understand this interdisciplinary area and contribute to the ongoing evolution of intelligent aquatic systems through cross-domain collaboration and integrated platform development.

This paper ”Survey on heterogeneous aquatic robot systems: communication, perception, navigation, control, decision-making and energy management” was published in Robot Learning.
Liu R, Hu X, Jiang Z, Wang J, Zhang W. Survey on heterogeneous aquatic robot systems: communication, perception, navigation, control, decision-making and energy management. Robot Learn. 2025(1):0003, https://doi.org/10.55092/rl20250003.