Autonomous Robots for Ocean Sustainability

Description:

The AROS researchers have previously developed the bioinspired marine robot AIAUV (Articulated Intervention-AUV) by combining the slender, multi-articulated body of snakes with propulsion provided by thrusters. This new marine robot is already well on its way towards disrupting subsea operations in the oil and gas industry. However, higher levels of autonomy and endurance are needed to fully realize the potential of AIAUVs for providing greener, safer and more cost-efficient operations and obtaining persistent presence in the oceans for ocean exploration and sustainability. AROS will close this knowledge gap. Specifically, we will combine the disciplines of engineering cybernetics, computer science and hydrodynamics, to achieve significant advances in the current state of the art of marine robotics and autonomy, with the goal of realizing true autonomy in underwater sensing, situational awareness, and motion planning, and to achieve unprecedented energy autonomy. The methods for underwater situational awareness will enable the AIAUV to understand, interpret and predict its surroundings. The energy efficient motion planning and the energy harvesting methods will enable extreme endurance and enlarge the areas covered beyond the capabilities of current marine robots. The project will educate five PhD candidates and more than 10 MSc students through six work packages addressing: WP1: Egomotion estimation and situational awareness for AIAUVs WP2: Next-best-view and 3D reconstruction for AIAUVs WP3: Flow sensing: Bio-inspired solutions for AIAUVs WP4: Motion planning: Redundancy resolution methods for AIAUVs WP5: Energy harvesting by AIAUVs. WP6: Simulation studies and experiments The results will be published in peer-reviewed papers at major international conferences and in top-ranked international journals.

Project leader: Kristin Ytterstad Pettersen

Started: 2019

Ends: 2024

Category: Universiteter

Sector: UoH-sektor

Budget: 15999000

Institution: Institutt for teknisk kybernetikk

Address: Trondheim