The Narrator begins:

If this came at you while you were swimming in the ocean, you’d probably turn and sprint for the beach. But subs like these may one day patrol our shores and keep us safe. What looks like a torpedo, the navy calls an autonomous underwater vehicle, or AUV.

This from a ‘news minute’ (view short movie) about possible uses for smart torpedoes - in particular, Homeland Security surveillance - on the American PBS’s excellent and lovingly-maintained Hitler’s Lost Sub web site educational resource.

In the June 16 transcript Mark Patterson, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, explains "AUVs are essentially swimming computers .. they’re underwater robots .. not tethered to the surface [and] can swim 24/7, under all kinds of wind and wave and weather conditions."

They submarine devices can:

hunt for ocean mines .. travel into areas the sub commander may not wish to risk .. gather intelligence .. we can basically train AUVs in the future to recognize everything they see .. scan the hulls of incoming trade ships for suspicious cargo.

SiasPatterson’s Fetch2 AUV claims capability in all these regimes, and even if it could only make a half-decent splash and just sink to the bottom it would still be the sexiest looking AUV out there.

Oh, and by now you really should know, there’s no truth to either our header or the lame caption on borrowed image.  Sorry, Jim.