Reef Rover: A Low-Cost Small Autonomous Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) for Mapping and Monitoring Coral Reefs

Abstract

In the effort to design a more repeatable and consistent platform to collect data for Structure from Motion (SfM) monitoring of coral reefs and other benthic habitats, we explore the use of recent advances in open source Global Positioning System (GPS)-guided drone technology to design and test a low-cost and transportable small unmanned surface vehicle (sUSV). The vehicle operates using Ardupilot open source software and can be used by local scientists and marine managers to map and monitor marine environments in shallow areas (<20 m) with commensurate visibility. The imaging system uses two Sony a6300 mirrorless cameras to collect stereo photos that can be later processed using photogrammetry software to create underwater high-resolution orthophoto mosaics and digital surface models. The propulsion system consists of two small brushless motors powered by lithium batteries that follow pre-programmed survey transects and are operated by a GPS-guided autopilot control board. Results from our project suggest the sUSV provides a repeatable, viable, and low-cost (<$3000 USD) solution for acquiring images of benthic environments on a frequent basis from directly below the water surface. These images can be used to create SfM models that provide very detailed images and measurements that can be used to monitor changes in biodiversity, reef erosion/accretion, and assessing health conditions.

Structure and the Basic Operating Principles of Test Water Zone for the Testing of Unmanned and Self-Piloted Vessels

“…We must note that the development of an unmanned or autonomous vessel differs significantly from the development of a conventional vessel, which creates a possibility of brand-new hull types. New hulls, however, must be tested both as models and real vessels [3,[13][14][15].…”

Porting Ardupilot to Esp32: Towards a Universal Open-Source Architecture for Agile and Easily Replicable Multi-Domains Mapping Robots

“…In relation to our problems and our constraints, we choose to focus on the solution which is the most open-source and our choice therefore fall on Ardupilot. This autopilot has also proven operational in different environments as we find it in application on, of course, aerial vehicles (UAV) (Wardihani et al, 2018, Fawcett et al, 2019, Melo et al, 2017, Carlson, Rysgaard, 2018, Cucho-Padin et al, 2019, Washburn et al, 2017, but also on ground vehicles (UGV) (Velaskar et al, 2014) or surface vehicles (USV) (Sinisterra et al, 2017, Moulton et al, 2018, Raber, Schill, 2019 and even on underwater vehicles (UUV) (Schillaci et al, 2017, Luo et al, 2019, Sani et al, 2019…”

Prototype Autonomous Rover Pembersih Sampah Pantai menggunakan ArduPilot

“…Gambar 1. APM 2.6 [14] ArduPilot telah digunakan untuk memetakan dan memantau lingkungan laut di daerah dangkal [15]. Berpijak dari beberapa hal tersebut, penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengembangkan sebuah perangkat yang dapat digunakan untuk mengambil sampah pantai secara otomatis.…”