Maridan A/S of Horsholm (Denmark) developed MARTIN - the world's first AUV able to complete an autonomous site survey without any physical contact to the surface and without the need for control or navigation signals from a support vessel.

During the spring of 1999 MARTIN successfully conducted a range of similar autonomous surveys for De Beers Marine (Pty) Ltd off the West Coast of South Africa. The surveys were carried out with a Side Scan Sonar payload integrated to MARTIN and provided outstanding survey data. The resulting autonomous line surveys clearly illustrated MARTIN's ability to fly above the seabed with accuracy and stability following a pre-programmed route plan.