Toward Automatic Subsea Operations Using Real-Time Underwater Optical Wireless Sensor Networks

Automatic subsea operations using real-time underwater optical wireless sensor networks are mooted as a new paradigm of underwater Internet of Things in this paper. To this end, we develop an underwater optical wireless sensor network prototype called AquaE-net, which consists of an optical hub and two sensor nodes with temperature, salinity, conductivity, and pH sensing capabilities. Clock synchronization is realized in AquaE-net, which paves the way for future underwater positioning and navigation. Moreover, real-time and bi-directional network communication with 100% packet success rates has been realized by AquaE-net in free space and turbid water in the harbor of the Red Sea at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. This is the first step toward future effective marine environmental monitoring and marine resources exploration.