CAREER: Mobile Underwater Communications Networks Supported by Autonomous Surface Vehicles

自主水下航行器（auv）是海洋探测领域的一项重要创新。然而，auv之间的无线通信和网络功能仍然很原始，阻碍了海洋技术的进步。CAREER项目利用移动性来解决水下无线通信和网络的挑战。自动水面车辆（asv）配备了多种模式的通信设备，用于作为通信基站，以扩大覆盖范围和提高数据速率。该项目通过整合机器人、数字通信、网络和机器学习方面的知识，开发新的基于学习的解决方案。拟议的网络作为一种灵活、低成本的促进者，有助于海洋技术的发展，使海洋资源能够得到有效的采样、勘探和管理。在成功举办了地区MATHCOUNTS活动之后，一项面向K-12学生的水下机器人竞赛也将启动。外展活动将加强阿拉巴马州的STEM竞争力。该项目的总体目标是支持海洋科学进步和未来蓝色经济劳动力的发展。该项目设想了一个由asv和auv组成的水下移动多模式通信网络。基础研究问题将在这个移动网络中进行探索，例如，了解移动声道如何在几十毫秒的微观尺度上波动，以及研究给定空间相关特性的最佳海洋采样策略。所获得的见解将有助于开发多层的创新信号处理技术，从通道建模到系统优化。将启动三个研究重点，包括1)移动声学信道建模，2)移动自适应声学通信，以及3)集成采样，通信和导航。研究评估将在数值模拟和现场实验中进行。开发的技术将展示科学见解如何提高我们精确模拟声学通道，可靠通信和有效采样海洋的能力。该项目的成果有望促进下一个前沿研究，即分布式自适应海洋采样。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) represent a critical innovation in ocean exploration. However, wireless communication and networking capabilities among AUVs remain primitive, hindering marine technologies’ advancement. This CAREER project utilizes mobility to address challenges in underwater wireless communications and networking. Equipped with multiple modes of communication devices, autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs) are used to serve as communication base-stations for expanded coverage and enhanced data rates. This project develops new learning-based solutions by integrating knowledge from robotics, digital communications, networking, and machine learning. The proposed network contributes to ocean technologies as a flexible, low-cost facilitator, enabling effective sampling, exploration, and management of the ocean resources. An underwater robotics competition for K-12 students will be launched following the successful regional MATHCOUNTS initiative. The outreach activities will strengthen the STEM competitiveness in the state of Alabama. The project’s overall goal is to support ocean science progress and the development of the future blue economy workforce.This project envisions an underwater mobile multi-modal communication network with a fleet of ASVs and AUVs. Fundamental research issues are to be explored within this mobile network, for example, understanding how the mobile acoustic channel fluctuates in the micro-scale of tens of milliseconds and investigating the optimal ocean sampling strategy for given spatial correlation properties. The gained insights will help develop innovative signal processing techniques at multiple layers, from channel modeling to system optimization. Three research thrusts will be launched, including 1) mobile acoustic channel modeling, 2) mobile adaptive acoustic communications, and 3) integrative sampling, communications, and navigation. Research evaluation will be conducted in both numerical simulations and field experiments. The developed techniques will demonstrate how the science insights advance our abilities to precisely model the acoustic channel, reliably communicate, and effectively sample in the ocean. The project outcomes are expected to facilitate research of the next frontier, distributed adaptive ocean sampling.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.