In 2019, experts at the Siberian State University of Science and Technology will hold first open water tests of a quadcopter drone they have developed, said Alexander Kuznetsov, director of the university’s Institute of Space Research and High Technologies.
The new submarine drone will be used to study the bottom of the Yenisei River in the north of the Krasnoyarsk Territory and to create an integrated electronic geographic information system. The robot will also be used in exploring of shipwrecks in the river. A Volgograd company suggested trying the drone in the Volga River. As of now, the quadcopter prototype has only been tested in a pool.
The drone can see obstacles, differentiate colors, and will be able to work autonomously. It can go as deep as 100 meters under difficult climatic conditions. According to the developers, Western-made submarine drones that are able to operate in Russia’s north cost some RUR 2-3 mio ($30K-$45K), while the prime cost of a robot manufactured in Krasnoyarsk is just RUR 100-150K ($1.5K).