Official Launch of the Outdoor Comprehensive Testing Pool

Recently, our newly constructed outdoor comprehensive underwater testing pool has been fully completed and put into trial operation. As a standardized test facility tailored for the research and development of intelligent underwater equipment, the pool measures 10 meters in length, 3 meters in width and 3 meters in water depth. It can fully support the whole-process performance verification of underwater robots, bionic fish devices, underwater navigation systems and other products, serving as a crucial domestic testing platform for the independent research and development of marine intelligent equipment.

The development of underwater equipment relies heavily on repeated physical tests in real aquatic environments. Previously, most experiments had to be conducted at external sites, which led to long testing cycles, high coordination costs and difficulties in frequent and continuous commissioning. Rooted in the core R&D business of underwater robots and bionic vehicles, Fangde Ocean independently designed and constructed this integrated outdoor testing pool to address the shortage of in-house experimental hardware. The dimensions are well-suited for full-condition testing of small and medium-sized underwater devices. The 3-meter water depth simulates the operating depth of conventional coastal and inland water operations, the 10-meter channel enables dynamic tests such as straight-line cruising, steering maneuvering and long-distance path tracking, while the 3-meter width supports complex motion verification including obstacle avoidance, circling and fixed-point hovering.

With this testing pool, the company’s R&D team has carried out multiple physical water verification projects for core technologies. Recent achievements include field tests on underwater positioning algorithms based on integrated inertial navigation and closed-loop experiments for autonomous path planning systems. Bionic fish equipment and underwater robots have completed full demonstrations of continuous underwater navigation, posture adjustment and fixed-point operations within the pool. Researchers can collect key data such as underwater posture, positioning deviation and power consumption in real time via the pool’s matched cable control system. The controllable and convenient testing environment accelerates the iteration of hardware structures and control algorithms, greatly shortening the R&D and commissioning cycle of new products.

Compared with open-sea trials, dedicated on-site testing pools possess remarkable merits including controllable environmental conditions, freedom from tidal influences, all-weather availability and lower operation and maintenance costs. R&D work is no longer restricted by marine weather, waves or navigation limitations, allowing dozens of comparative repeated experiments per day to efficiently troubleshoot common defects such as water leakage, power imbalance and positioning drift. In addition, the enclosed water area eliminates interference from external water currents and floating debris, yielding more stable and accurate data for high-precision experiments on positioning and path planning, which provides solid measured evidence for optimizing core modules like inertial navigation, underwater vision and propulsion systems.

A three-level R&D verification system consisting of simulation modeling, pool testing and offshore sea trials has been established. Prototype debugging, algorithm validation and overall performance evaluation can be accomplished within the factory premises, reducing reliance on external testing resources and securing independent control over underwater equipment development. Moving forward, we will further advance the R&D of bionic underwater robots, compact work-class ROVs and autonomous underwater navigation systems on this platform, continuously upgrading marine intelligent equipment and facilitating the high-quality development of the underwater operation equipment industry through self-developed technologies.

From laboratory simulation to physical aquatic testing, this comprehensive testing pool acts as a vital hardware foundation for our dedication to marine technology and independent innovation. The company will keep upgrading supporting experimental facilities and increasing investment in intelligent underwater equipment research, striving to build a competitive marine technology enterprise with strong technical and testing capabilities, and deliver highly reliable underwater equipment solutions for marine exploration, water environment monitoring and special underwater operations.