Path Following, Obstacle Detection and Obstacle Avoidance for Thrusted Underwater Snake Robots

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Marine Engineering
• Bio-inspired Systems

Background:

• Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) are increasingly vital for oceanographic research and industry.
• Underwater snake robots (USRs) offer enhanced maneuverability and intervention capabilities compared to traditional UUVs.
• Energy-efficient propulsion and autonomous navigation are critical challenges for UUVs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a control system for USR path following.
• To implement algorithms for real-time obstacle detection and avoidance using computer vision.
• To enhance the operational autonomy and efficiency of USRs in complex underwater environments.

Main Methods:

• A USR equipped with tail thrusters and a head-mounted camera was utilized.
• A computer vision algorithm processed camera data for obstacle detection and localization.
• A control system used robot joints for directional control and tail thrusters for propulsion.
• Obstacle circumvention involved following a circular path before rejoining the original trajectory.

Main Results:

• The developed control system effectively enabled path following for the USR.
• The obstacle detection and avoidance algorithms successfully guided the USR around detected obstacles.
• Experimental results validated the proposed methods for autonomous navigation and maneuvering.

Conclusions:

• The presented control system and algorithms enhance the autonomy and efficiency of USRs.
• USRs equipped with this system can perform complex navigation and intervention tasks in underwater environments.
• This research contributes to the advancement of bio-inspired underwater robotics.