Review of Autonomous Undersea Vehicle (AUV) Developments 
CETUS [36] 
In response to a request by Lockheed Corporation for the development of a flatfish-type AUV for 
mine countermeasures, the CETUS vehicle (figure 19) was designed and built at MIT Sea 
Grant's AUV Lab. The vehicle is designed to be passively stable, easily controlled, and capable 
of hovering. The project objective was to produce a vehicle that was not only inexpensive to 
manufacture but also durable and easy to service. 
The final design has a single-piece High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) hull, formed using a 
rotational molding process. It employs two propulsive thrusters and three hovering thrusters, 
with no active control surfaces. The fabrication, from concept to delivery, was achieved in nine 
months. Specifications are listed in table 8. 
Figure 19. CETUS 
Table 8. CETUS Specifications 
Hull Size Length 1.8m, Width .8m, Height .5m 
Hull Composition Rotary-Molded High-Impact Plastic 
Weight 100 kg stand-alone, 150 kg with ALS and additional sensors 
Depth Rating Al Pressure Vessels 200m, Titanium PV >4000m 
Control Differential Thrust 
Propulsion Brushless DC Thrusters 
Power Battery (lead acid) 
Speed Cruising 1.5 - 2.5 knots, Maximum 5 knots 
Range 20-40km (speed/sensor dependent) 
45 
