studies-rov-concepts_2023-a

Studies of ROV concepts 2023 - Part A

Authors: Jiafeng Huang, Hyeung-Sik Choi, Dong-Wook Jung, Ki Beom Choo, Hyunjoon Cho, Phan Huy Nam Anh, Ruochen Zhang, Joon Young Kim, Daehyeong Ji, Jung-Hyeun Park The “twin hybrid autonomous underwater vehicle” is a novel unmanned underwater platform consisting of a twin torpedo-shaped hull actuated by two buoyancy engines and two thrusters. It was designed to have faster speed generated by the two buoyancy engines and two thrusters. The two buoyancy engines on each hull and the airfoil are mainly responsible for the diving and surfacing motion, and the thrusters drive it along the horizontal plane. It can carry more instrumentation and energy than a conventional hybrid autonomous underwater vehicle and perform more exploration tasks for extended periods.

Authors: Simon Siregar, Bambang Riyanto Trilaksono, Egi Muhammad Idris Hidayat, Muljowidodo Kartidjo, Natsir Habibullah, Muhammad Fikri Zulkarnain, and Handi Nugroho Setiawan The main goal of this paper was to design and construct a hybrid autonomous underwater glider (HAUG) with a torpedo shape, a size 230 cm in length and 24 cm in diameter. The control, navigation, and guidance system were executed simultaneously using a Udoo X86 minicomputer as the main server and three BeagleBone Black single-board computers as the clients. The simulations showed a controlled horizontal speed of 0.5 m/s in AUV mode and 0.39 to 0.51 m/s in glide mode with a pitch angle between 14.13 deg. and 26.89 deg.

Authors: Shohei Hotta, Yusuke Mitsui, Mizuki Suka, Norimitsu Sakagami, and Sadao Kawamura. This paper reports the development of a lightweight remotely operated vehicle that performs underwater excavation work for archaeological surveys. Discovering underwater artifacts is generally difficult because they are often covered with sediment in high- risk areas. To find them, divers and large remotely operated vehicles must conduct excavation work with manipulators. Nevertheless, accomplishing such tasks is difficult for small underwater robots without a manipulator. For this reason, the authors developed a lightweight underwater robot of 35 kg that can remove sediment from the seabed or lake bottom using its thrusters instead of a manipulator.

Authors: Kaveripakam Sathish, Ravikumar Chinthaginjala Venkata, Rajesh Anbazhagan, & Giovanni Pau Oceanographic data collection, disaster prevention, aided navigation, critical observation sub-missions, contaminant screening, and seaward scanning are just a few of the underwater sensor hub submissions. Unmanned submerged vehicles (USVs) or autonomous acoustic underwater vehicles (AUVs) through sensors would similarly be able to explore unique underwater resources and gather data when utilized with integrated screen operations. The most advanced technological method of oceanic observation is wireless information routing beneath the ocean or generally underwater.

Authors: Qiyun Cheng, Wenyuan Mo, Long Chen, Wei Ke, Jun Hu, and Yuwei Wu. Underwater robotics is rapidly evolving due to the increasing demand for marine resource exploitation. Compared with rigid robots using propellers, bionic robots are stealthier and more maneuverable, such as autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), making them widely used underwater. To study the motion state of the umbrella jellyfish bionic robot, the displacement of the jellyfish robot along the same direction and the surrounding fluid pressure distribution caused by the jellyfish motion under different experimental conditions are discussed in this paper.

24 - Experimental Investigation of Relative Localization Estimation in a Coordinated Formation Control of Low-Cost Underwater Drones.

Authors: Thierry Soriano, Hoang Anh Pham, & Valentin Gies. This study presents a relative localization estimation method for low-cost underwater drones (l-UD), which only use visual feedback from an onboard camera and Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) data. It aims to design a distributed controller for a group of robots to reach a specific shape. This controller is based on a leader-follower architecture. The main contribution is determining the relative position between the low-cost underwater drone without using digital communication and sonar positioning methods.

Authors: Zhiyong Duan, Yurui Zhang, Jiaqi Hu, Bohao He, and Canjun Yang At present, contact watertight connectors are commonly utilized for the connection between underwater electromechanical equipment and the seabed observation network. Such traditional watertight connectors are easy to be irreversibly worn when plugging and unplugging, however, they have complicated sealing structures and limited service life. This paper designs a Non-contact Wet Mateable connector for Optical Communication and Power Transmission (OCPT-NWMC), which is based on technology of Contactless Power Transmission (CLPT) and optical communication.

Authors: Shinsuke Kawagucci, Yohei Matsui, Hidetaka Nomaki, and Chong Chen Recovery of samples from the deep ocean in pristine condition is diffficult due to large environmental differences between the deep and surface waters through which the samples necessarily must be transported. The authors propose a concept for deep-sea sample recovery: a deep-sea freezer using thermoelectric cooling capable of generating ice in the deep and recover them frozen on- board ships.

Authors: Celine Tran, Ivan Gushkov, Kristoffer Nordvik, Simen T. Røang, Simen B. Lysthaug, Babak Ommani, Thor I. Fossen, Vahid Hassani, Vidar Smines, Tor A. Johansen The launch and recovery of equipment such as remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) is a critical task that defines the operability limits of many marine operations. This paper considers the analysis of control systems that are designed to maximize the operability limits for launch and recovery of a ROV from a small unmanned surface vessel (USV).

25 - System identification (SI) modelling controller design and hardware testing for vertical trajectory of underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV)

Authors: Fauzal Naim Zohedi, Mohd Shahrieel Mohd Aras, Hyreil Anuar Kasdirin, Mohd Bazli Bahar, & Lokman Abdullah The underwater environment makes it hard for ROV operators to control the manipulator while holding position simultaneously. This led to modelling and controller design for the vertical trajectory of ROV. In this paper, the System Identification (SI) modeling technique was used to model the vertical trajectory of the ROV. Then, the Proportional, Integral, and Derivative (PID) controller was implemented to control the trajectory.

Authors: Gaofei Xu, Daoxian Zhou, Libiao Yuan, Wei Guo, Zepeng Huang, and Yinlong Zhang Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) equipped with online visual inspection systems can detect underwater targets during underwater operations, which is of great significance to subsea exploration. However, the undersea scene has some instinctive challenging problems, such as poor lighting conditions, sediment burial, and marine biofouling mimicry, which makes it difficult for traditional target detection algorithms to achieve online, reliable, and accurate detection of underwater targets.

Authors: Uday Chandrakant Patkar, Megha Patil, Aditya handhoke, Abhijeet Jain, Muskan Kumari, Namokar Jain, shikha Bhardwaj, Uday Shankar Patil The authors present a solution of an underwater ROV (Remotely operated Vehicle) in which theyl fit the camera to detect the human body in optimal time. For underwater operations, computer vision is one of the most important technologies. For an Underwater environment, weak lighting, and dissolved particles are tough for a pre-processing procedure, which is necessary for underwater vision.

Authors: Yangfan Cui, Peibin Zhu, Guowei Lei, Peng Chen, & Guangsong Yang To solve the problems of limited energy and the difficulty of battery replacement in UWSN, a path planning and energy-saving scheme for charging underwater sensor nodes using AUVs (autonomous underwater vehicles) is proposed. Applying multiple AUVs to charge the sensing network nodes will maximize the size of the underwater sensing network as well as meet the transmission reliability, and the optimal path of AUVs is solved by using a genetic algorithm.

Authors: Yuhang Tang, Xueren Wang, Xuhong Miao, Shengyao Gao, Bing Li, and Zilong Peng This study presents an optimization algorithm for achieving optimal acoustic stealth performance when designing an underwater vehicle in the free field using COMSOL-MATLAB integrated software. A component superposition method, based on phase interference, is adopted to simplify and decompose a non- axisymmetric complex underwater vehicle model into two main parts: the hull and the conning tower. The shape of the underwater vehicle hull is described mathematically with a sequence of undetermined coefficients for optimization.

Authors: Ya Xie, Afei Zhu, and Zhonghua Huang The control performance of fixed-depth motion is related to the performance of the underwater vehicle. Due to the complex and changing underwater environment, various potential risks, the variety of underwater operations, and the variability of structural parameters and environmental parameters of the underwater vehicle, the control performance is compromised when performing constant depth motion.

Authors: Xinhui Zheng, Qiyan Tian, and Qifeng Zhang Underwater vehicle-manipulator systems (UVMS) have played an increasingly important role in ocean exploration. To realize precise operation in underwater narrow spaces, the fly arm underwater vehicle manipulator system (FAUVMS) is proposed with manipulators as its core. However, this system suffers from severe dynamic coupling effects due to the combination of a small vehicle and large manipulators. The authors propose a robust adaptive controller to resolve this issue.

26 - Accuracy Assessment of the Positioning of a Swarm of Underwater Vehicles in Relation to Four Surface Vehicles Using the TDOA Method

Author: Krzysztof Naus This paper presents the results of research on the accuracy assessment of the positioning of a swarm of underwater vehicles based on hydroacoustic measurements made with respect to four surface vehicles under the time difference of arrival (TDOA) method. The assessment consisted of the estimation of accuracy parameters for determining the position of an underwater vehicle in relation to surface vehicles that form a so-called moving geometrical measurement structure (MGMS).

Authors: Stefano Brizzolara, Alan Brown, Craig Woolsey, Daniel J. Stilwell This thesis proposes a method to simulate the dynamics of an autonomous underwater vehicle towing another autonomous underwater vehicle of equivalent size using a marine cable in the vertical and horizontal planes. There is a coupling effect between the two vehicles because the towed vehicle is of equivalent size. This means that the towed vehicle cannot be modeled as just a payload but rather must incorporate the forces and moments experienced and acting upon it. In this work, only AUVs with symmetrical hulls are considered, where the towing AUV moves at a constant velocity with a set thrust, while the towed AUV has no thrust.

Authors: Shuangshuang Fan, Xinyu Zhang, Guangxian Zeng, and Xiao Cheng) The undersides of floating ice shelves and sea ice in the Antarctic and Arctic are among the least accessible environments on Earth. The interactions between ice shelves, sea ice, and the ocean are of considerable scientific interest. In order to fully understand the complex picture of sea ice, and not just its surface, it is necessary to map the underside to comprehend the full context of its growth and decay patterns. Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) are rapidly becoming the desired platform of choice for mapping the underside of sea ice to provide high-resolution 3D views of sea ice topography.

Authors: Dan Zou, Fei Zhao Many underwater missions must be carried out with stealth to avoid being detected by enemy sonars, and safety and security are required in such high-risk situations. In this paper, a covert path planning algorithm for underwater vehicle is proposed based on the sonar detection probability analysis.

Authors: Ping Hu, Dawen Jiao , Jiahui Qi and Sidi Chen Due to incomplete data collection, the difficulty of locating the source of the static magnetic field data for underwater vehicles increases. Therefore, it is necessary to study the influence of data loss on the static magnetic source location of underwater vehicles and the field source location for timely remediation of missing data. In this paper, the static magnetic equivalent source model of the underwater vehicle was established. Then, the inversion positioning algorithm was used to locate the magnetic field source of the underwater vehicle obtained from the test, and the influence of the location result under incomplete data information was analyzed.

Authors: Yuzhe Wang, Pengpeng Zhang, Hui Huang, and Jian Zhu Jellyfish are among the most widely distributed creatures that can effectively control the fluid flow around their transparent soft bodies, thus achieving movement in water and camouflage in their surrounding environments. Until now, it has remained a challenge to replicate both the transparent appearance and functionalities of nature jellyfish in synthetic systems due to the lack of transparent actuators. In this work, a fully transparent soft jellyfish robot has been developed to possess both transparency and bio-inspired omni-motionin water.

Authors: Yulin Deng, Xiudi Ren, Martin Nuernberg, Longbin Tao ROV often experiences excessive motion as it passes through the wave zone due to wave-ROV interaction combined with free surface effects. These movements can cause rope slack and sudden loading, which may damage umbilical components and endanger ROV operation. This study focuses on experimental measurements and numerical predictions of the dynamic tension in the umbilical during the launch and recovery of the ROV.

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Authors: Christophe Vie, Juliette Drupt, Claire Dune, Vincent Hugel The umbilical of Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) allows transmitting information in real-time or energy supply to the robot. However, it also has many disadvantages, such as entanglement or the difficulty of predicting its shape, which raises the question of being able to do without it. To turn these constraints into advantages, this paper proposes a method to estimate an ROV's position by observing its umbilical shape.

Authors: Wenjie Lu, Kai Cheng, and Manman Hu This paper introduces a model-free RL method that uses Data-informed Domain Randomization (DDR) to control AUVs. It minimizes mismatches between simulation trajectory data and real AUV data by tweaking simulated AUV parameters. DDR improves on adaptive domain randomization by adding a network that learns to map control signals across different domains, helping the controller adjust to sudden dynamic changes.

Authors: Tingzhuang, Liu Xinyu, He Linglu, He Fei Yuan Drowning is a significant public health issue. Detecting drowning through video is helpful, but there are challenges like lack of real incidents to use as data and early signs being hard to see. This study introduces an underwater device with AI, cameras, and a waterproof casing to solve these issues.

Authors: Chinonso E. Okereke, Mohd Murtadha Mohamad, Nur Haliza Abdul Wahab, Olakunle Elijah, Abdulaziz Al-Nahari, and S.Zaleha The main goal of this paper is to give a rundown of the latest machine learning (ML) techniques used in local path planning for AUVs. It discusses ML algorithms categorized under supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning. It also dives into the challenges of real-life deployment, simulated scenarios, computational issues, and how ML algorithms are applied, wrapping up with some future research directions.

Authors: Vanesa Lopez-Vazquez, Jose Manuel Lopez- Guede, Damianos Chatzievangelou, and Jacopo Aguzzi This study aims to automatically classify marine species based on images obtained from deep-sea environments. The image enhancement process primarily uses a convolutional residual network, which generates enhanced images from a set of raw images.

Authors: Alberto Monterroso Muñoz, Maria-Jose Moron- Fernández, Daniel Cascado-Caballero, Fernando Diaz-del-Rio, and Pedro Real This study examines the synergistic effect between professional photography and scientific fields by exploring issues related to image acquisition. It also discusses underwater image enhancement, quality assessment, and image mosaicking, addressing algorithmic concerns as the final processing step to pinpoint critical issues in AUVs, covering the entire process from optical issues in image sensing to challenges in algorithmic processing.

Authors: Artur Babiarz, Robert Bieda, Tomasz Borowik, Tomasz Grzejszczak, Tomasz Hartwig, Krzysztof Jaskot, Andrzej Kozyra, & Piotr Sciegienka This document describes the design and features of a five degrees of freedom (5DoF) underwater manipulator system, outlining the key components and functionalities of the system, including the solution of forward and inverse kinematics problems, the implementation of a system that mimics human arm movements using sensors, and the inclusion of a simple haptic feedback device for gripper control. It presents a new approach to designing a robot control system for underwater applications, emphasizing the reduction of system complexity and distinguishing it from existing solutions.

Authors: Astrid Marie Skålvik, Camilla Saetre, Kjell-Eivind Frøysa, Ranveig N. Bjørk, & Anders Tengberg This document provides an overview of the challenges and limitations associated with deep-sea sensor data and proposes a solution involving automatic tests for sensor self-validation and self-diagnostic capabilities to enhance the reliability and accuracy of data collected by sensors in remote deep-sea environments, which is crucial for long- term autonomous operations and accurate deep-sea observations. The document also emphasizes the importance of data quality and the potential issues arising from faulty sensor data, particularly in large-scale wireless sensor networks.

Authors: Pengyun Chen, Ying Liu, Xiaolong Chen, Teng Ma, Lei Zhang This paper presents and validates a new method for underwater terrain-matching positioning using a Markov random field model. By leveraging real-time terrain data from a multi-beam echo sounder, the method aims to improve the accuracy and adaptability of autonomous underwater vehicle navigation. The article also highlights the successful results from playback simulation tests, indicating the method's effectiveness in correcting cumulative errors in inertial navigation systems and its potential applicability in underwater engineering.

Authors: Junfeng Fan, Yaming Ou, Xuan Li, Chao Zhou, and Zengguang Hou This paper proposes a new method for inspecting underwater pipelines using underwater vehicles equipped with structured light vision (SLV) technology by highlighting the limitations of current inspection methods and introducing a solution that involves a dual-line laser SLV system for improved precision and 3D reconstruction capabilities. It describes the development and integration of this system with an underwater vehicle, BlueROV, and highlights the successful results from experiments conducted to validate the method.

Authors: I-Chen Sang , William R. Norris This document discusses a solution for improving underwater pipeline inspection using Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs). It examines the challenges associated with using Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and fixed sensors for inspection and highlights the limitations of existing navigation algorithms for AUVs. It then introduces a new navigation system that combines vision and sonar sensors, tested in a simulation environment, which enhances the AUV's ability to navigate and inspect pipelines effectively, including detecting leaks with high precision.

Authors: Christopher R. Walker, Dula Nad, Derek W. Orbaugh Antillon, Igor Kvasic, Samuel Rosset, Nikola Miškovic This presentation is a technological solution to improve safety in scuba diving by introducing an autonomous dive-buddy robot, discussing the risks associated with diving alone and proposing a diving glove with gesture recognition as a means for divers to communicate with the robot underwater. It details the development and testing of this technology, highlighting its potential to enhance diver safety and interaction with autonomous systems in challenging underwater environments.

Authors: Ahsan Tanveer, and Sarvat Mushtaq Ahmad This paper describes developing and evaluating an optimal controller for steering control of a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV). It details the use of a PI controller, the tuning of its parameters using a genetic algorithm, and the comparison of its performance against other tuning methods like root-locus and simulated annealing to convey the effectiveness of the genetic algorithm-tuned PI controller in achieving better performance metrics such as overshoot, peak time, and settling time.

Authors: Biao Wang, Chunhao Chen, Zhe Jiang, and Yu Zhao This paper describes a technical solution for improving the accuracy and adaptability of state estimation for a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) operating in challenging underwater environments, explaining the limitations of traditional methods like the Kalman filter in handling non-Gaussian noise distributions caused by environmental factors such as wind, waves, and currents. It introduces a new approach using a mixture of Gaussian model theory combined with an expectation-maximization cubature particle filter (EM-MOGCPF) to enhance real-time observation and reduce noise uncertainty.

Authors: Khaled M. Salem, Mohammed Rady, Hesham Aly, and Haitham Elshimy This document promotes an integrated framework for designing and implementing a prototype of an underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) by outlining the various considerations and components involved in the development of the ROV, such as mechanical, electrical, and software systems, and highlighting the successful implementation of image processing capabilities to perform underwater missions.

Authors: Hyo-Gon Kim, Sung-Jo Yun, Jeong-Woo Park, Hyo-Jun Lee, Jeong-Hwan Hwang, Jong-Chan Kim, Young-Ho Choi, Jae-Kwan Ryu, and Jin-Ho Suh This document presents a method for improving the functionality of towed underwater vehicles (TUVs) by developing a prototype capable of active movement, including stationary and low-speed operations, by highlighting the limitations of current TUVs, particularly their inability to operate effectively at low speeds and suggesting a solution through a new control model and algorithm. The intent is to enhance the versatility and effectiveness of TUVs by allowing them to perform both wide-area searches and precise location explorations using a single platform equipped for various missions.

02 - Formation control of multiple autonomous underwater vehicles: a review.

Authors: Tao Yan, Zhe Xu, Simon X. Yang, S. Andrew Gadsden This paper reviews recent advancements in coordinating multiple autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). It discusses various methods, their pros and cons, and the challenges faced in creating effective formation systems. Future work is suggested to enhance AUVs applications.