Underwater Robot Navigation and Localization During Recovery by Optical Homing and Penning

对于自主水下机器人来说，长时间运行然后安全返回的能力是一系列重要应用的关键特征，例如海底检查，远程监视和季节性监控。在这种长期任务中，机器人面临的一个主要挑战是准确估计其位置，因为GPS信号无法穿透海洋表面，并且水下没有Wi-Fi或无线电通信基础设施。使用专用水面船只进行声学参考或到达水面接收GPS信号是耗电的，计算成本高，并且通常是不可能的（在隐身应用中）。该项目将通过使用新的基于光学的框架和机载AI技术来解决这个问题，从而实现科学和工程方面的进步。该算法和系统将允许水下机器人以GPS质量的精度估计其位置，而无需重新浮出水面。更重要的是，这些功能将使水下机器人能够长期自主导航和安全回收，而不需要专门的水面船只进行声学引导。总体而言，该项目的成果将有助于长期的海洋生态系统监测和海洋气候观测研究，以及在远程隐身使命执行国防应用。该项目将倡导一个新的解决方案的基础问题的水下机器人定位和导航的概念，引入“光学归航和笔”。这种新的基于光学的框架将结合主动机器人定位和非侵入式导航的科学和工程概念，而不会影响隐身性。综合研究将开发三套新技术，用于（i）利用蓝绿色激光散斑进行远程UUV（无人水下航行器）定位，（ii）从编码散景光谱进行精确的3D方向测量，以及（iii）通过方向控制自适应LIDAR进行GPS质量姿态估计。组合光学传感系统将部署从专门的浮标作为浮动灯塔。还将开发智能视觉SLAM系统，用于在看不到灯塔信标的深水沃茨中进行鲁棒状态估计。此外，ROS（机器人操作系统）为基础的模拟器将被开发用于评估UUV导航和使命执行性能。为了进行可行性分析和评估，该项目将通过在墨西哥湾北方和大西洋进行全面的海洋试验，正式确定两个UUV平台上的实际部署战略。这些研究活动将通过（一）三个STEM课程的课程开发，（二）本科机器人团队指导计划，和（三）在机器人研讨会倡议的妇女在UF.This奖反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估值得支持。

For autonomous underwater robots the ability to operate for long periods of time and then return back safely is a critical feature in a range of important applications, such as subsea inspection, remote surveillance, and seasonal monitoring. A major challenge for a robot in such long-term missions is to estimate its location accurately since GPS signals cannot penetrate the ocean’s surface, and Wi-Fi or radio communication infrastructures are not available underwater. Using a dedicated surface vessel for acoustic referencing or coming up to the water surface for GPS signals are power hungry, computationally expensive, and often impossible (in stealth applications). This project will make scientific and engineering advances by using a novel optics-based framework and on-board AI technologies to solve this problem. The algorithms and systems will allow underwater robots to estimate their location with GPS-quality accuracy without ever resurfacing. More importantly, these features will enable long-term autonomous navigation and safe recovery of underwater robots without the need for dedicated surface vessels for acoustic guidance. Overall, the outcomes of this project will contribute to the long-term marine ecosystem monitoring and ocean climate observatory research as well as in remote stealth mission execution for defense applications.This project will advocate a novel solution to the foundational problem of underwater robot localization and navigation by introducing the notion of 'optical homing and penning'. This new optics-based framework will incorporate the scientific and engineering concepts for active robot localization and non-invasive navigation without compromising the stealth. The integrated research will develop three sets of novel technologies for (i) distant UUV (Unmanned Underwater Vehicle) positioning with blue-green laser speckles, (ii) accurate 3D orientation measurements from coded bokeh spectrums, and (iii) GPS-quality pose estimates by a directionally-controlled adaptive LIDAR. The combined optical sensory system will be deployable from specialized buoys acting as floating lighthouses. An intelligent visual SLAM system will also be developed for robust state estimation in deep waters when no lighthouse beacons are visible. Additionally, a ROS (Robot Operating System)-based simulator will be developed for evaluating UUV navigation and mission execution performance. For feasibility analysis and assessment, this project will formalize real-world deployment strategies on two UUV platforms through comprehensive ocean trials in the northern Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. These research activities will be complemented by (i) curricula development for three STEM courses, (ii) undergraduate robotics team mentoring programs, and (iii) women in robotics workshop initiatives at UF.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.