Showing papers on "Intervention AUV published in 2008"

The Present State of Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Applications and Technologies

Abstract: The usefulness of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) has been proven in recent years and will continue to be. The authors review current AUV state of the art. A feasible present-day AUV mission discussion reviews present AUV capabilities. Also addressed are the state of key AUV sensor technologies and design features, with areas most critical to continued future AUV development progress identified.

Apparatus and method for operating autonomous underwater vehicles

Abstract: A method and apparatus of operating an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) may include receiving an AUV in a receptacle of a submersible station. The AUV and the submersible station may be launched to an underwater location. The AUV may engage with the submersible station before, after or during a mission, and may return to the same or a different submersible station after part, or all, of the mission has been completed.

Advanced Technologies For Cruising AUV URASHIMA

Abstract: There are concerns about the impact that global warming will have on our environment, and which will inevitably result in expanding deserts and rising water levels. AUVs (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle) were considered and chosen, as the most suitable tool for conducting surveys concerning these global environmental problems. JAMSTEC has started building a long range cruising AUV. The plan for its development is in several steps. As the first step an AUV, named “URASHIMA”, was built in 1999, and sea trials have been held since 2000. URASHIMA dived to 3,518 meters depth in 2001. At the end of February 2005, URASHIMA was able to cruise autonomously and continuously for 317 kilometers, beyond its target range of 300 kilometers. This record is the longest one in the world. PEFC (Polymer electrolyte Fuel Cell) power system with Metal Hydrogen storage has been developed for expanding its cruising range. As the second step, an AUV “URASHIMA-2”, which will cruise more than 3,000 kilometers, will be developed from 2007. The development plan of the next AUV was selected as one of the official national important technologies in Japan. The deep-sea areas we know of constitute only a small fraction of the entire deep-sea. The information that can be obtained by man-made satellites is limited to that pertaining to the surface or subsurface portions of the sea. Today, man does not have the means to canvass the entire deep-sea at one time. If a number of AUVs like the URASHIMA autonomously cruise in various deep-sea areas of the world, man will then, for the first time, be able to get the entire picture of the deep-sea.

Hybrid remotely/autonomously operated underwater vehicle

Abstract: Disclosed is an underwater vehicle that can be operated as a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) or as an autonomous vehicle (AUV). The underwater vehicle has a tether, which ma be a fiberoptic cable, that connects the vehicle to a control console. The underwater vehicle has vertical and lateral thrusters, pitch and yaw control fins, and a propulsor, all of which may be used in an ROV-mode when the underwater vehicle is operating at slow speeds. Th underwater vehicle may also be operated in a AUV-mode when operating at higher speeds. The operator may switch the vehicle between ROV-mode and AUV-mode. The underwater vehicle also has a fail-safe mode, in which the vehicle may navigate according to a pre¬ loaded mission plan if the tether is severed.

Autonomous underwater vehicle collision avoidance for under-ice exploration

Abstract: On 22 August 2004 the Autosub-2 autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) was on its return leg of a 144 km, 24 h under-ice mission in the Arctic sea over the Northwind Shoal off the northeast Greenland coast when it found its path blocked by a deep ice keel that had drifted across its planned mission route. After three attempts, the Autosub found a way around the keel and continued on its way to rendezvous with its mother ship. This paper reports the development, testing, and operation of collision and obstacle avoidance techniques used in the Arctic and Antarctic under-ice expeditions of the Autosub-2 AUV.

A novel method for hydrothermal vents prospecting using an autonomous underwater robot

Abstract: In this paper we address the problem of localizing active hydrothermal vents on the seafloor using an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's Autonomous Benthic Explorer (ABE) (see Fig.1) AUV has been successfully used in several hydrothermal vents prospecting missions. Recently, a three-stage nested approach [1] has been introduced. It consists in surveys at different altitudes to finally photograph the venting structures flying very close to the seafloor. In this paper, we introduce a new strategy for ABE's movement in surveys at higher altitude (phase-1): ABE moves along predesigned tracklines sampling the seawater; when some conditions on collected data are encountered, it starts a spiral movement to fly over areas likely to contain active vent fields. Results of the proposed algorithm tested on data coming from previous ABE's missions are shown and assess the efficiency and reliability of the method.

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles: A Transformation in Mine Counter‐Measure Operations

Abstract: (2008). Autonomous Underwater Vehicles: A Transformation in Mine Counter‐Measure Operations. Defense & Security Analysis: Vol. 24, No. 3, pp. 247-266.

Platforms: Autonomous Underwater Vehicles

Abstract: An autonomous underwater vehicle, or AUV, is a self-propelled, unmanned, untethered underwater vehicle capable of carrying out simple activities with little or no human supervision AUVs are often used as survey platforms to map the seafloor or characterize physical, chemical, or biological properties of the water A large variety of AUVs are in existence, ranging from vehicles weighing tens of kilograms, to vehicles weighing thousands of kilograms Motivations for employing AUVs range from the ability to obtain superior data quality, for example, obtaining high-resolution maps of the deep seafloor, or to establish a pervasive ocean presence, for example, using many small AUVs to observe oceanographic fields While AUV technology development and occasional scientific use of AUVs have occurred since the 1960s, routine use of AUVs for science is a phenomenon of the last few years Adoption of AUVs has led to increasing investment in AUV technology, and the establishment of successful commercial suppliers of AUVs and AUV services AUV technology continues to evolve rapidly and a wide range of new AUVs and new AUV applications are under development as of the writing of this article

The advancement of an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) technology

Abstract: An autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) test-bed was jointly upgraded by DSTO and the University of Adelaide as an introduction of advanced technologies into its system. This AUV will serve as a platform to support further research dealing with underwater robotic operations. The group working on this project incorporated off-the-shelf hardware together with well-developed control algorithms to build an efficient AUV embedded system. The presented system consists of five main modules including command, navigation, communication, and instrumentation (internal and external sensors) and machine-vision. This paper presents an overview of the AUV development process which covers project stages, system development, system operation as well as test results from experimental trials which showcased the capability and functionality of the AUV.

Vehicles for Deep Sea Exploration

Abstract: The technological breakthroughs in deep-sea vehicle design over the last 40 years have resulted in unprecedented access to the deep ocean. For many years, researchers have towed instruments near the seafloor to collect various kinds of data remotely. Since the 1960s, humans have ventured into the deep ocean in submersibles or human-occupied vehicles (HOVs). These battery-operated vehicles allow two to four individuals to descend into the ocean for periods of typically 8–10 h. Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) are unoccupied vehicles tethered to the support ship. Similar to HOVs in capabilities, ROVs are controlled by a pilot on board the ship who communicates with the vehicle via a fiber optic cable. The cable also transmits real-time images and data from the ROV to the shipboard control room. Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are unoccupied, untethered vehicles preprogrammed and deployed to travel through the ocean without intervention from human operators. They can run missions of many hours or days on their battery power and can travel many kilometers collecting data of various types. Hence, AUVs are frequently used to identify regions of interest for further exploration by HOVs and ROVs. In the future, AUVs will play an important role in the development of long-term seafloor observatories.

Communications for Underwater Robotics Research Platforms

Abstract: This paper presents a distributed protocol for communication among autonomous underwater vehicles. It is a complementary approach for coordination between the autonomous underwater vehicles. This paper mainly describes different methods for underwater communication. One of the methods is brute force approach in which messages are broadcasted to all the communication nodes, which in turn will broadcast the acknowledgement. Issues relating to this brute force approach are time delay, number of hops, power consumption, message collision and other practical issues. These issues are discussed and solved by proposing a new method to improve efficiency of this proposed approach and its effectiveness in communication among autonomous underwater vehicles.

Using of Electromagnetic Searcher for Inspection of Metallic Cable by Means of AUV

Abstract: One of the most effective ways for solving the problems of metallic cable inspection is Autonomous Underwater Vehicle /AUV/ using. AUV should have reliable detection system to inspect the cables. Photo and video systems not always allow obtain reliable data for cable recognition. Electromagnetic Searcher /EMS/ was designed in the Institute of Marine Technology Problems (Far East Branch Russian Academy of Sciences) /IMTP FEB RAS/ for these purposes. The device description, data processing and AUV motion on the basis of electromagnetic data are considered in this paper.

More tools in the toolbox: The naval oceanographic office's Remote Environmental Monitoring UnitS (REMUS) 6000 AUV

Abstract: Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are useful and necessary tools for modern oceanographic data collection. The Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) Ocean Projects Department has been successfully applying AUV technology since 1997. NAVOCEANO's entry into the large AUV realm was initiated with the transfer of a vehicle developed and tested at Draper Labs in 1997, named Lazarus. NAVOCEANO also teamed with Penn State Applied Research Laboratory to design and build the SEAHORSE-Class AUV, with the first of three vehicles delivered in 2001. These vehicles are powered by D-cell alkaline batteries and were mainly used to develop AUV Concept of Operations and logistic requirements. These vehicles are designed to operate under a preprogrammed set of rules and instructions with the goal of carrying out assigned missions without direct operator interaction or supervision. This concept would provide a ldquoforce multiplierrdquo to other NAVOCEANO survey assets. However, in order for AUVs to become operationally effective, several technology gaps needed to be overcome. These gaps included sensors, communications, navigation, power, and launch and retrieval systems. As technologies advanced, the REMUS 6000 AUV overcame these gaps and became an operational tool for the U.S. Navy.

Ship of opportunity launch and recovery system for REMUS 600 AUV's

Abstract: A new autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) launch and recovery system has been built that is adaptable enough to allow integration to most vessels equipped with an A-frame or deck crane. The system was developed to allow an AUV to be lifted either horizontally or vertically depending on vehicle configuration or vessel geometry.

A Robust Vision-Based Hover Control for ROV

Abstract: The main field of application for small- and middle-class ROVs is the inspection of underwater structures or other objects of interest. Approaching such an object, one would want to hold a steady position in front of the object to study it in detail without having to concentrate on the control of the vehicle. This kind of "hover control" could be implemented by using an inertial measurement unit (IMU), but most of the small-and middle-class ROVs do not have one. Furthermore, even the best IMUs tend to drift. On this account our approach, which is presented in this paper, uses video data to estimate the movements of the vehicle and uses these data to keep the vehicle hovering in front of a particular structure. The used vision algorithms are aimed at real world applications and are robust enough to handle various light and visibility conditions.

Current Researches and Development Trend on AUV

Abstract: Along with the development of technology,people pay more and more attention to the AUV in ocean explorationsThis paper first briefly introduces the AUV's history and simply describles the present state of AUV in military,science research and commerce development and application of each country,then provides an overview of AUV's traditional and combinational navigation technology,at last discusses the AUV's developement trend

Current Situation and Development Trend of AUV Recovery Technology

Abstract: The current situation of autonomous underwater vehicle(AUV) recovery technologies is elaborated.The technical difficulties and theory of the new autonomous recovery technology are analyzed,including dynamics,control,and navigation,etc.,and some corresponding resolvents are introduced.Finally,the development trend of AUV recovery technology is discussed.

Human-guided autonomy for acoustically tethered underwater vehicles

Abstract: Recent under-ice Arctic AUV expeditions have shown that polar operations require careful coordination between subsea vehicles and surface ships during vehicle recovery. In addition, the complexity of AUV launches and recoveries encourages telemetering AUV science data to allow scientists greater decision-making power while an AUV dive is underway. Reliable underwater communication, however, imposes strict bandwidth limitations. This paper presents a method for summarizing scalar vehicle science and state telemetry over low-bandwidth acoustic links, along with a topside display for presenting the data to surface observers.

Local bottom characterization using an autonomous underwater vehicle

Abstract: In the past decade the usage of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) to sample properties of the underwater environment has increased. The advantages of using platforms are their autonomy and that operations can be performed covertly. In 2007, the CLUTTER'07 experiment was conducted on the Malta Plateau with the main aim of characterizing the underwater environment. An AUV was deployed at a particular site on the Plateau to demonstrate the feasibility to infer bottom properties using such an autonomous platform. The AUV was equipped with 2 sound sources covering a frequency band 800‐3500 Hz, and the transmitted signals were acquired on a bottom moored vertical array. The mission of the AUV was to perform a linear track of 1000 m passing the vertical array as close as possible while transmitting every second from the sound sources. This experimental configuration is similar to the move‐out or wide‐angle reflection measurements. The received signals are inverted for geoacoustic properties using both matche...

Autosub6000: results of its engineering trials and first science missions

Abstract: In September 2007 on RRS Discovery, the Autosub6000 Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) completed its first deep water engineering trials, and less than a year later, fitted with a multibeam bathymetric mapping sonar, carried out its first science missions, as part of a geology and geophysics science cruise onboard the RRS James Cook to investigate potential geo-hazards (such as tsunami generating landslides) on the European and North African margin. In the spirit of true AUV autonomy, while the AUV was deployed, we used the ship for seabed coring operations, and once the AUV was recovered, the high resolution bathymetry which it had obtained guided the next coring operations. In this paper we will describe how we are tackling the issues that specifically affect a deep diving AUV capable of operating with true autonomy, and independently of the mother ship: How to carry enough energy for long endurance and range? How to operate safely and efficiently with varying buoyancy? How to maintain accurate navigation throughout missions lasting up to several days?

Explorer AUV missions in coastal Newfoundland

Abstract: The Marine Environmental Lab for Intelligent Vehicles (MERLIN Lab) at Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) operates a survey class autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) available for scientific research within a wide range of disciplines The MUN Explorer is 45 meters in length, 069 meters in diameter, weighs 650 kg and displaces 660 kg This International Submarine Engineering Ltd (ISE) Explorer class vehicle has the capacity to handle 200 kg of scientific payload With a range of up to 100 km at speeds of up to 25 m/s and depths to 3000 metres, the vehicle is ideal for environmental surveys where bathymetric and mapping sonar, physical and chemicals sensors, cameras and acoustic devices are carried The paper focuses on the capabilities of the MUN Explorer AUV and plans to build collaborative projects Data will be presented on vehicle performance during habitat mapping in coastal Newfoundland Habitat mapping was conducted with Fisheries and Oceans Canada by using a single frequency acoustic system adapted to the AUV The aim is to evaluate the potential to cost effectively classify seabed habitats as well as to monitor fish and zooplankton abundance and distributions in association with these habitats The work detailed in this paper concerns the preliminary evaluation of the AUV as a research tool in this context

Automatic object detection and diagnosis for AUV operation using underwater imaging sonar

Abstract: This paper presents the development of underwater sonar imaging to support the command, control and navigation of an AUV within a shallow milky-water environment. The aim of this study was to test an innovative methodology which uses underwater imaging sonar to detect underwater objects surrounding the AUV and determine their locations and movement including motion directions and speeds relative to the AUV. Several underwater laboratory based trials have been conducted. The successful result shows the presented methodology is promising.

Defense Contractors Snap Up Submersible Robot Gliders [Update]

Abstract: The new arrival to the underwater world are small submersible robots known as gliders because they thrust themselves through the water not with propellers but by simply changing their buoyancy. Gliders consume just a trickle of power and can remain at sea for several months at a time, surfacing only to get a GPS fix and beam data to satellites. A mission using a conventional autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) lasts only hours. Now it seems gliders have caught the attention of some other big fish.

Design, Development and Testing of Underwater Vehicles: ITB Experience

Abstract: The last decade has witnessed increasing worldwide interest in the research of underwater robotics with particular focus on the area of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) The underwater robotics technology has enabled human to access the depth of the ocean to conduct environmental surveys, resources mapping as well as scientific and military missions This capability is especially valuable for countries with major water or oceanic resources As an archipelagic nation with more than 13,000 islands, Indonesia has one of the most abundant living and non-organic oceanic resources The needs for the mapping, exploration, and environmental preservation of the vast marine resources are therefore imperative The challenge of the deep water exploration has been the complex issues associated with hazardous and unstructured undersea and sea-bed environments The paper reports the design, development and testing efforts of underwater vehicle that have been conducted at Institut Teknologi Bandung Key technology areas have been identified and step-by-step development is presented in conjunction with the need to meet the challenge of underwater vehicle operation A number of future research directions are also highlighted

Advances in Sea Coverage Methods Using Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs)

Abstract: Due to rapid changes in modern technological development over the last several years, researches on small Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) and Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) appeared as important issues for various possibilities of application in the ocean. Military applications together with commercial need require practical details which are robust and cheap for realization as a product. In addition, works on coverage have been motivated by a wide range of real world applications that include non-humanitarian demining, deep-sea development sweeping and robotic spray-painting. Currently, many coverage applications utilize on-line coverage algorithms (Gabriely et al., 2003), where robots do not rely on a priori knowledge of a work-area, and thus must construct their motion trajectories step-by-step, addressing discovered obstacles as they move. This is the main contrast from the conventional off-line coverage algorithms, where robots are given a map of a work-area, and can therefore plan their paths ahead of deployment (Ge et al., 2005). In this paper, we focus on on-line coverage for underwater environment by multiple AUVs. Relevant works have shown that one of advantages of adopting multiple robots for a coverage task is the potential ability for more efficient coverage (Hazon et al, 2005). However, another advantage is that they usually offer greater robustness. Unfortunately,this important capability has been neglected in previous works done on on-line algorithms. As far as the details of the on-line coverage methods, there are many kinds of covering motions that can be realized either by back-and-forth motions in vast cells, or by following a general Voronoi diagram in narrow cells (Acar et al., 2001). Exact cellular decomposition can also be achieved through the use of the boustrophedon decomposition (Choset, 2001) as well as through Morse functions (Acar, 2002). The boustrophedon approach has been extended in (Choset, 2001) to the multi-robot domain. Such form of coverage requires the coverage to be executed in formations, which may be accomplished in a variety of ways (Ge et al., 2005). Spanning Tree Coverage algorithms (Gabriely, 2003) have also been proposed for online coverage of an unknown and gridded environment by a robot. For coverage with multi-robot teams, a frontier-based exploration technique has been used to guide robots towards the region between known and unknown areas on the map (Yamauchi et al., 1998). The Mark and Cover (MAC) algorithm has been proposed in (Wagner et al., 2000) with the proved convergence and the bounds on cover time of the algorithm. In (Yang & Luo, 2004), a neural network model has been used for exploration of a O pe n A cc es s D at ab as e w w w .in te hw eb .c om

Think on the development in autonomous underwater vehicles

Abstract: Application foreground of autonomous underwater vehicles is very wide in ocean exploitation and naval affairs.Technology of autonomous underwater vehicle is technical field that is developed by every country in the world.In this paper the development of autonomous underwater vehicles abroad is introduced briefly.The key techniques those should be focused our attention on and the several suggestions are put forward.

Acoustic sensor systems on a flying wing underwater glider and two prop‐driven autonomous underwater vehicles

Abstract: The Marine Physical Laboratory, Scripps Institution of Oceanography operates several underwater vehicles including an autonomous underwater glider based on a flying wing design and two prop‐driven autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) manufactured by Bluefin Robotics. The objective of this presentation is to describe the acoustic sensor systems on these platforms and provide sample results from the at‐sea data. The glider, with a 6.1‐m wing span, was developed jointly by the Marine Physical Lab and the Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington. It is designed to maximize the horizontal distance traveled between changes in buoyancy (i.e., maximize its "finesse") while quietly listening to sounds in the ocean. A 27‐element hydrophone array with 5 kHz per channel bandwidth is located in the sonar dome all along the wing's leading edge. In addition, it has a four‐component acoustic vector sensor in its nose. The two prop‐driven AUVs have been equipped with hull‐mounted hydrophone arrays with 10 kHz ...