SeaLandAire has led in the development of a compact, light-weight (less than 20 lbs) Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) designed to map and report bathymetry and intrusive objects in a loosely designated channel.
The small size and complex operating environment impose key challenges:
- Efficient propulsion and maneuvering in high currents
- Maximize energy storage capacity (neutrally buoyant)
- Use imaging sonar to provide DVL-like feedback
- Determine path to avoid obstacles and stay away from banks
- Fusion of mapped solution with aerial/satellite imagery in situ to calibrate on-board sensor drift
Accomplishments include:
- Development of simulation tools to evaluate vehicle performance
- Finalized proposed vehicle design – generated CAD model
- Obtained river test data with forward looking sonar
- Evaluated image processing solutions on collected data
- Flow processing / bottom tracking (forward speed over ground, side slip, rotation)
- Obstacle / feature recognition