Diving up to 50,000 meters deep, and able to operate underneath ice to gather data on Antarctic research missions, the vehicle looks and sounds like something out of an action film.

The Explorer-class autonomous underwater vehicle is funded by the Australian Government via the Antarctic Gateway Partnership. It will be maintained and operated by a team of specialist research and technical staff at the AMC’s Autonomous Maritime Systems Laboratory, which was also opened on Friday.

The University of Tasmania’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Rathjen said the new facility will make advances toward climate sciences, Antarctic, and Southern Ocean research, and also more serious matters such as defence and security.

“There are also rich opportunities at AMC for Tasmania to explore the application of these new technologies to modern naval defence, marine biosecurity and cyber marine opportunities,” he said.

Professor Neil Bose, Principal of Australian Maritime College, said that the high tech robot is one of the newest and most capable AUVs in the world for use under sea ice and ice shelves.

“It will allow us to further build our global reputation for engineering in extreme environments,” said Professor Bose, adding that the arrival of the new AUV and new facility are events that have placed Tasmania firmly at the forefront of global AUV research and engineering.