Mapping Complex Marine Environments with Autonomous Surface Craft

Abstract

This paper presents a novel marine mapping system using an Autonomous Surface Craft (ASC). The platform includes an extensive sensor suite for mapping environments both above and below the water surface. A relatively small hull size and shallow draft permits operation in cluttered and shallow environments. We address the Simultaneous Mapping and Localization (SLAM) problem for concurrent mapping above and below the water in large scale marine environments. Our key algorithmic contributions include: (1) methods to account for degradation of GPS in close proximity to bridges or foliage canopies and (2) scalable systems for management of large volumes of sensor data to allow for consistent online mapping under limited physical memory. Experimental results are presented to demonstrate the approach for mapping selected structures along the Charles River in Boston.

River mapping from a flying robot: state estimation, river detection, and obstacle mapping

“…Previous work in autonomous river mapping has utilized small boats (Leedekerken et al 2010) or higher altitude, fixed wing UAVs (Rathinam et al 2007). While these platforms could be more practical in simple riverine environments, we aim to develop a platform that can perform in the most difficult situations such as rapidly flowing water, obstructed waterways, or dense forest canopies.…”

Active Online Calibration of Multiple Sensors for Autonomous Surface Vessels

“…Work on sensing for small ASVs includes [11,2]. Sonar sensing has mainly been done for AUVs, but some of the techniques [16] can be applied on ASVs as well.…”

Development of a Low Cost Multi-Robot Autonomous Marine Surface Platform

“…There has also been some exciting work in developing multi-robot systems with a wide variety of capabilities [8], but under tightly controlled conditions. The authors in [9] developed an ASV equipped with a LIDAR, camera, radar and an imaging sonar. The ASV is used for mapping above as well as below the surface of the water while accounting for GPS degradation near bridges and tree canopies.…”

“…We envision very large fleets of CRW, perhaps even numbering in the hundreds, autonomously exploring large bodies of water under the supervision of a small number of operators. Previous work has detailed the challenges involved in such coordination from a multi-agent perspective, including challenges in task allocation, information sharing, and adjustable autonomy [9]. The overarching goal of our work is to develop a low-cost multi-robot marine surface platform that is easy to deploy and versatile enough to be used for a wide range of applications.…”