An innovative decentralized strategy for I-AUVs cooperative manipulation tasks

In this paper we present a stereo visual odometry system developed for autonomous underwater vehicle localization tasks. The main idea is to make use of only highly reliable data in the estimation process, employing a robust keypoint tracking approach and an effective keyframe selection strategy, so that camera movements are estimated with high accuracy even for long paths. Furthermore, in order to limit the drift error, camera pose estimation is referred to the last keyframe, selected by analyzing the feature temporal flow. The proposed system was tested on the KITTI evaluation framework and on the New Tsukuba stereo dataset to assess its effectiveness on long tracks and different illumination conditions. Results of a live archaeological campaign in the Mediterranean Sea, on an AUV equipped with a stereo camera pair, show that our solution can effectively work in underwater environments.

Selective visual odometry for accurate AUV localization

The involvement of autonomous underwater vehicles for patrolling, monitoring or maintenance activities of submersed structures in the coastal strip, harbors or in proximity of off-shore plants (e.g...

A low cost autonomous underwater vehicle for patrolling and monitoring

https://backend.orbit.dtu.dk/ws/files/140842115/mcn_oae_mb_is_j2017_1.pdf

Constrained multi-body dynamics for modular underwater robots — Theory and experiments

A free floating manipulation strategy for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles

Modelling and Control of an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle for Mobile Manipulation

MARTA, acronym for MArine Robotic Tool for Archaeology is a small-sized Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) developed in the framework of the ARROWS project. The ARROWS project (start September 2012, end August 2015) is funded by the European Commission in the framework of the FP7 call ENV-2012, challenge 6.2-6, devoted to Development of advanced technologies and tools for mapping, diagnosing, excavating, and securing underwater and coastal archaeological sites. MARTA will operate in a heterogeneous team of vehicles with a common mission to perform and a distributed and shared world model updated based on non-synchronous information collected by each of the vehicles of the team. Each of the vehicles will be equipped with acoustic communication means in order to be able to communicate when submerged. The University of Florence is in charge for the design and construction of the MARTA AUV, according to specifications written in compliance with the requirements formulated by the Archaeological Advisory Group, including archaeologists both from inside and outside the ARROWS consortium. MARTA will be moderate in cost, with respect to commercially available AUVs, and light enough in order to be deployable by two people from a small boat. MARTA will operate at a maximum depth of 150m and, in addition to a pair of acoustic modems for inter-vehicular communication and USBL localization, it features two different payloads, i.e.: a pair of synchronised digital TV cameras with visible light as well as structured light (blue laser) illuminators; a Multibeam echo-sounder. The paper illustrates the vehicle concept and the use of on-board acoustic instrumentation for communication, localization, and sea-bottom imaging. Preliminary experimental data from the field are presented.

Conti Roberto

Papers

Modelling and Control of an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle for Mobile Manipulation

MARTA: an AUV for underwater cultural heritage