China sets record with 116 autonomous underwater drones in coordinated swim

China set a world record for simultaneous autonomous underwater navigation after 116 TH-618 drones completed a preset route in a pool for 34 minutes with no human control. Guinness World Records certified the August 29 demonstration by Northwestern Polytechnical University and Xian Tianhe Maritime Technologies.

• 116 TH-618 drones navigated a preset route for 34 minutes without human input
• Each vehicle weighs about 11.3 pounds and operates for over 8 hours
• The drones can travel up to 18.6 miles on a single run
• The previous EU-funded record involved 41 autonomous underwater robots