Comunicazione per la cooperazione e il controllo di veicoli subacquei autonomi in operazioni off-shore

Il lavoro descritto in questo documento ha avuto come scopo il raggiungimento degli obiettivi prefissati dall’Università di Pisa, in qualità di partner all’interno del progetto MARIS (Marine Autonomous Robotics for InterventionS). Il task principale è stato quello di sviluppare un sistema di comunicazione e localizzazione acustico subacqueo tra due AUV impiegati in operazioni di manipolazione e trasporto coordinato di oggetti in ambito off-shore. Pertanto, dopo aver realizzato uno specifico software in ambiente ROS (Robotic Operating System) per i dispositivi Evo Logics® utilizzati, il sistema è stato prima validato e successivamente testato in mare con il supporto del CSSN (Centro Supporto e Sperimentazione Navale) della Marina Militare Italiana. A seguito dell’analisi dei dati effettuata in post-processing, è stata svolta l’analisi delle performance del sistema e la caratterizzazione delle tempistiche di comunicazion

Autosub Long Range 1500: A continuous 2000 km field trial

Long Range Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (LRAUVs) offer the potential to monitor the ocean at higher spatial and temporal resolutions compared to conventional ship-based techniques. The multi-week to multi-month endurance of LRAUVs enables them to operate independently of a support vessel, creating novel opportunities for ocean observation. The National Oceanography Centre’s Autosub Long Range is one of a small number of vehicles designed for a multi-month endurance. The latest iteration, Autosub Long Range 1500 (ALR1500), is a 1500 m depth-rated LRAUV developed for ocean science in coastal and shelf seas or in the epipelagic and meteorologic regions of the ocean. This paper presents the design of the ALR1500 and results from a five week continuous deployment from Plymouth, UK, to the continental shelf break and back again, a distance of approximately 2000km which consumed half of the installed energy. The LRAUV was unaccompanied throughout the mission and operated continuously beyond visual line of sight

The NOCS On-Board control system

As the affordability and the diversity of marine robotic platforms grow, the need for standardized software architectures, communication protocols and operating procedures becomes more critical. Going towards this direction, the Marine Autonomous and Robotic Systems (MARS) group of the National Oceanographic Centre Southampton started the development of a new on-board control and autonomy system, with the aim of delivering a modular and easily maintainable software that can be deployed on all the different platforms of the fleet. This paper presents the architectural description of the system, and the details on the implementation choices made to obtain a flexible and unique software ecosystem. As part of this redesign, two critical components have been completely re-designed: the mission executive layer, based on Behaviour Trees (BT), and the vehicle health management and diagnostic system. Details on these two key components are reported. Results from the first experimental campaign conducted in March 2019 in Portland harbour (Dorset, UK) with the newly developed ALR1500 vehicle provide some examples of the functionalities of the new system

Autosub 2000 under ice: Design of a new work class AUV for under ice exploration

The ice covered portions of the world’s seas and oceans are some of the most inaccessible areas on the planet, yet hold crucial clues to the behaviour of the world’s climate. Largely inaccessible by manned vessels, robotic platforms provide our best opportunities to explore and learn about these regions. Autosub2000 Under Ice (Autosub2KUI) will become the newest iteration of the Autosub family of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles which have played a significant role in under ice exploration over the last two decades. Autosub AUVs have conducted over 30 missions under sea ice and tidewater glaciers in both the Arctic and Antarctic. This paper outlines the design of Autosub2KUI with a focus on the adaptations required for operation under ice

Autosub5: Preparing for science

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) are proving to be a key component in the global observing system, with their ability to provide unique data sets particularly at abyssal depths or under ice. Autosub5 is the latest in a line of large work class AUVs developed by the National Oceanography Centre specifically tailored for oceanographic science applications. This paper describes the work currently being undertaken to transition the vehicle from an engineering prototype through to a science ready platform. The 18 months process saw the AUV assembled in early 2021 and then undertake a series of trials and incremental payload integrations through to a science rehearsal trial planned for summer 2022