Sparing divers from having to carry out dangerous underwater tasks? The time will soon come! Indeed, by establishing the Système d'opérations nautique intelligent et autonome (SONIA), a team of students from the École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) were able to carry out a very ambitious project: the creation of an underwater robot capable of autonomously performing a complex mission. To locate a sound-transmitting marker, visually recognise objects in the water and collect specified data are all highly complex operations. But to have a robot accomplish these activities all by itself is quite a feat! Due to its advanced technology, SONIA could, for example, inspect the penstocks of electric dams or undertake the mine clearance of lakes polluted by artillery shells. The team behind the prototype, made up of 28 students, has invested over 4,500 hours in order to bring the project to completion. SONIA brings together technical skills in the fields of mechanics, electricity and computer science. Investors such as IBM, Hydro-Québec, Position Technology and Teknor Applicom are already showing a keen interest in SONIA.