Objective
This project is the initial step to endow the autonomous
underwater vehicle MARIUS with decision making capabilities
and intelligent-like behaviour. In the first phase of the
project the vehicle will be upgraded to achieve increased
hydrodynamic performance and to operate up to a depth of 600 meters. Moreover, the vehicle will be equipped with deflecting surfaces (elevator, rudders, ailerons) for increased
maneuverability. The design of a multibeam forward looking
sonar to achieve 3-D obstacle detection will be completed.
This entails the modification of a commercially available
real-time updating sonar to obtain 3-D representations based on multiple 2-D shooting.
The second phase is a detailed study of a Mission Operations System that consists of an off-line Mission Preparation System (MPS) and a Mission Management System (MMS) for on-line
mission performance assessment and reactive mission planning. Both systems will be validated in simulation. The MPS is
organized around a dedicated computer interface that accepts the mission data (environmental conditions, number and
locations of sites to be inspected, global terrain profile,
tasks to be executed at each site, etc.), validates the
mission inputs and proposes a mission plan that is transferred to the on-board resident MMS. The role of the MMS is to
coordinate the different modules that make up the vehicle,
assess their status and the overall mission performance, and react to unforeseen events and replan the mission whenever
necessary. Some of the MMS responses will be part of a list of contingency plans, while others will be the result of an
on-line decision making process (for example, upon detection of an obstacle by the Obstacle Detection System, a pre-planned trajectory must be modified so that the vehicle may avoid the collision and return to the original mission promptly). The
design and development of the Mission Preparation and Mission Management Systems will build on realistic mission scenarios that will be defined in cooperation with marine laboratories and geological institutes in Europe. For each mission
scenario, the performance required will be translated into a set of measurable quantities that include, among others, the mission duration, radius of action, cruising speed,
navigational accuracy, communication data rates, magnitude of sea currents that the AUV must withstand and contingency plans in the face of detected anomalies.
Topic(s)
Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinator
1096 LISBOA
Portugal