The first domestically produced “autonomous underwater vehicle for in-situ sampling of deep-sea microorganisms” was successfully developed

Recently, the first domestically developed “Deep-Sea Microbial In-Situ Sampling Autonomous Underwater Vehicle” has been successfully created. This innovation provides high-fidelity, automated in-situ sampling and analysis of deep-sea micro-organisms at multiple sites and scales. Several technological advancements in this project have filled significant gaps in domestic capabilities and have reached an internationally advanced standard.

According to project leaders, the team focused on the development of unmanned equipment for continuous in-situ sampling of deep-sea microbes, along with core technologies for in-situ nucleic acid preparation and analysis. They have developed a high-fidelity, pollution-free deep-sea in-situ genomic sampling instrument and preparation device. They also established efficient techniques for detecting trace in-situ samples and performing joint genomic analyses across varying biological domains.

In May 2024, the team conducted comprehensive performance tests and functional validations of their prototype vehicle in the South China Sea. This marks the first time in the country that an autonomous underwater vehicle has enabled multi-site continuous sampling of deep-sea microbes. The vehicle’s performance metrics, including maximum sampling depth, the number of samples collected, and the volume of water filtered in a single run, have all reached leading international standards.