  The last decade has witnessed increasing worldwide interest in the research
of underwater robotics with particular focus on the area of autonomous
underwater vehicles (AUVs). The underwater robotics technology has enabled
human to access the depth of the ocean to conduct environmental surveys,
resources mapping as well as scientific and military missions. This capability
is especially valuable for countries with major water or oceanic resources. As
an archipelagic nation with more than 13,000 islands, Indonesia has one of the
most abundant living and non-organic oceanic resources. The needs for the
mapping, exploration, and environmental preservation of the vast marine
resources are therefore imperative. The challenge of the deep water exploration
has been the complex issues associated with hazardous and unstructured undersea
and sea-bed environments. The paper reports the design, development and testing
efforts of underwater vehicle that have been conducted at Institut Teknologi
Bandung. Key technology areas have been identified and step-by-step development
is presented in conjunction with the need to meet the challenge of underwater
vehicle operation. A number of future research directions are also highlighted.
