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BackChinese team sets world record with 116 autonomous underwater drones in swimming pool test
Chinese team sets world record with 116 autonomous underwater drones in swimming pool test
Tech
SCMP News1 hour agoTech1 min readChina

Chinese team sets world record with 116 autonomous underwater drones in swimming pool test

autonomous underwater vehiclesswarm roboticsguinness world record

Quick Look

  • A Chinese team from Northwestern Polytechnical University and Xian Tianhe Maritime Technologies set a Guinness World Record by deploying 116 autonomous underwater vehicles (TH-618s) in a swimming pool on August 29, 2026.
  • The drones performed formation navigation without human intervention for 34 minutes over 500 metres, verified by Guinness officials.

AI-generated summary

Why It Matters

The test was conducted to demonstrate advancements in autonomous underwater swarm technology, with vehicles operating without human intervention using real-time data for navigation.

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Vehicles were deployed in sequence and carried out formation navigation with no human intervention during the test in a swimming pool

A Chinese team has set a world record for the most autonomous underwater drones operating at the same time, deploying more than a hundred of the small robots in a swimming pool test.

The Guinness World Record for “most autonomous underwater vehicles operating simultaneously” was set by a team from Northwestern Polytechnical University in collaboration with Xian Tianhe Maritime Technologies.

The trial involved a swarm of 116 autonomous underwater vehicles – called TH-618s, the university said in a statement on September 24.

It took place on August 29 in a pool measuring 50 metres (164 feet) long and 20 metres (65 feet) wide under the supervision of Guinness World Records officials, who have since certified and posted the record on their website.

The vehicles were deployed in sequence and executed autonomous underwater formation navigation with no human intervention for 34 minutes over 500 metres, relying on real-time data to follow their preset route.

What to Watch

AI outlook — possibilities, not facts

  • The team may attempt to increase the number of autonomous underwater vehicles in future swarm tests

    Possible · Within months

Open Questions

  • What are the potential military or civilian applications of this technology?
  • How does the TH-618 compare to other autonomous underwater vehicles in terms of endurance and capabilities?
  • Will the team attempt to break this record again with a larger swarm?

Related Topics

autonomous underwater vehicles
OrganizationsNorthwestern Polytechnical UniversityXian Tianhe Maritime TechnologiesGuinness World Records
PlacesNorthwestern Polytechnical UniversitySwimming pool test site
Topicsswarm roboticsguinness world recordnorthwestern polytechnical universityxian tianhe maritime technologiesth-618 dronesformation navigation
This article was originally published by SCMP News.

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