On March 30, People’s Daily reported on the development and application of underwater robots in Dalian, Liaoning Province. At the northern waters of Manhua Wharf in Suoyuwan, Dalian, researchers from the Liaoning Underwater Robot Engineering Research Center were testing an underwater robot. After entering the water, the robot transmitted clear images of underwater pile foundations and quay walls, as well as real-time data on water quality and sedimentation, providing key information for the reopening of the old wharf.

According to Fu Xianping, Dean of the School of Information Science and Technology at Dalian Maritime University and Director of the Liaoning Underwater Robot Engineering Research Center, the research team has focused closely on the frontline needs of the marine industry. After years of development, the center independently developed the “Haiying” series underwater harvesting robots, which are equipped with customized harvesting grippers. These robots can accurately identify and collect sea cucumbers, abalones, and other marine products, and can also complete automatic storage, surfacing, and recovery without requiring divers to enter the water.

At an aquaculture base near Xiaochangshan Island in Changhai County, Dalian, the “Haiying” underwater robot has been used for marine product sampling. In the past, manual sampling could cover only three to four sites per day, while the robot can now complete more than 40 sites in a single day, greatly improving efficiency.

To address challenges such as strong nearshore currents, turbid water, low visibility, limited underwater communication, and difficult real-time control, the Liaoning Underwater Robot Engineering Research Center established a multidisciplinary research mechanism involving more than 80 researchers from different colleges. The team developed an optical imaging model for turbid water, proposed underwater image enhancement technology based on polarization characteristics, and developed sensitive spectral fingerprint feature extraction technology to help robots distinguish sea cucumbers and abalones from rocks and seaweed.

For underwater communication, the team proposed high-speed underwater data transmission technology based on visible-light arrays, enabling efficient coordination among multiple robots. It also built an integrated “underwater–surface–low-altitude” intelligent equipment coordination system, using multi-source perception to overcome limitations in complex marine environments.

The “Haiying” and “Hai’ou” series underwater robots developed by Fu Xianping’s team have been applied in various marine industry scenarios in Dalian. Equipped with sensors, visual systems, customized manipulators, and harvesting devices, the robots can collect environmental parameters such as temperature and salinity, capture growth images of marine products, assist in assessing biological health, and conduct precise harvesting operations.

In 2025, the Smart Ocean Information Technology Public Innovation Platform was officially launched. Led by Dalian Maritime University and Dalian Zhangzidao Marine Development Group Co., Ltd., the platform brings together the Liaoning Underwater Robot Engineering Research Center, Dalian Xinghaiwan Laboratory, Dalian Haifa Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd., and other partners to accelerate the industrial application of research outcomes.

Supported by the platform, the underwater robot technologies have served major engineering projects. For example, “Hai’ou I” carried out real-time underwater supervision during the laying of Northeast China’s first 630 mm² submarine cable; “Hai’ou II” has been used in offshore drilling platform installation support and pipeline inspection; a self-developed Arctic scientific expedition underwater robot has supported the collection of underwater environmental data; and an underwater dam defect inspection robot has been delivered to a research institute under China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation.

As of the report, the Liaoning Underwater Robot Engineering Research Center had undertaken nearly 60 scientific and technological projects, published more than 300 papers, independently developed ten generations of underwater robots, and won more than 20 awards. 

Original Link: https://www.ln.gov.cn/web/ywdt/zymtkln/2026033009414686074/index.shtml