Beneath the ocean surface, sometimes thousands of meters deep, the true “nervous system” of the Internet circulates: more than 1.5 million kilometers of underwater cables that connect continents, cross oceans and support 99% of international data traffic: mail, streaming, video calls, financial transactions, cloud, etc.
But that network invisible to our eyes is as vital as it is fragile. The cables do not rest on the surface: in areas closer to the coast they are buried under the seabed; In the open sea, they rest on the ocean floor. The estimated useful life of many of these systems is around 25 years. And there are many threats: snagged anchors, fishing nets, accidents, bed erosion, natural phenomena, and even sabotage. All over the world, every year there are between 150 and 200 breakdowns on submarine cables requiring repair.
When this occurs, specialized vessels must navigate to the affected area, hoist the damaged section, splice it or replace it, ensure the tightness of the assembly and submerge it again. The entire process can take weeks, even more than a month, depending on depth, weather, cable position and other factors. And in the meantime, huge chunks of global traffic may be disrupted. Therefore, protecting this network is equivalent to protecting the heart of the digital age.
Given the growing vulnerability of these lines, the German company Euro Atlas has just presented Greyshark, an autonomous underwater vehicle designed to patrol, monitor and protect the cables that link continents.
As its name indicates, the profile is that of a shark, but inside it has advanced sensors, full autonomy and the ability to operate in deep environments. All this allows you to detect anomalies, suspicious movements or possible damage.
According to its creators, Greyshark can travel long distances without constant supervision, “awakening” only when it detects unusual signals. It can map cable routes, monitor underwater corridors and notify control centers if there are incidents. It is capable of traveling at about 10 knots and covering a total area of 1850 km.
With Greyshark or other autonomous underwater vehicles, the idea is to drastically reduce response times to breakdowns. If a robot patrols regularly, detects irregularities early and warns, an anomaly can be prevented from becoming a serious break. Furthermore, the cost, logistics and visibility of damage could be better managed, without the need to marshal specialized vessels or wait for favorable conditions.