The design and development of low cost short range and tactile optical
fibre sensors for deployment on autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) in close
proximity to marine hazards is described. These sensors enable the operation of
AUVs in confined spaces and close to hazards such as the seabed, sea walls,
under overhangs, near sea platforms, etc. The paper also reports on the
operation of a mini AUV with these sensors in a test pool. The fibre sensors
augment the sensory abilities derived from ultrasonic and other sensors. Of
particular interest is proximity detection in the “near” (less than 1m) and
tactile areas.