Abstract-Operations with multiple autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) have a variety of underwater applications. For example, a coordinated group of vehicles with environmental sensors can perform adaptive ocean sampling at the appropriate spatial and temporal scales. We describe a methodology for cooperative control of multiple vehicles based on virtual bodies and artificial potentials (VBAP). This methodology allows for adaptable formation control and can be used for missions such as gradient climbing and feature tracking in an uncertain environment. We discuss our implementation on a fleet of autonomous underwater gliders and present results from sea trials in Monterey Bay in August, 2003. These at-sea demonstrations were performed as part of the Autonomous Ocean Sampling Network (AOSN) II project.

Abstract-Multi-AUV operations have much to offer a variety of underwater applications. With sensors to measure the environment and coordination that is appropriate to critical spatial and temporal scales, the group can perform important tasks such as adaptive ocean sampling. We describe a methodology for cooperative control of multiple vehicles based on virtual bodies and artificial potentials (VBAP). This methodology allows for adaptable formation control and can be used for missions such as gradient climbing and feature tracking in an uncertain environment. We discuss our implementation on a fleet of autonomous underwater gliders and present results from sea trials in Monterey Bay in August 2003. These at-sea demonstrations were performed as part of the Autonomous Ocean Sampling Network (AOSN) II project.

Abstract-Autonomous underwater vehicles, and in particular autonomous underwater gliders, represent a rapidly maturing technology with a large cost-saving potential over current ocean sampling technologies for sustained (month at a time) real-time measurements.In this paper we give an overview of the main building blocks of an underwater glider system for propulsion, control, communication and sensing. A typical glider operation, consisting of deployment, planning, monitoring and recovery will be described using the 2003 AOSN-II field experiment in Monterey Bay, California.We briefly describe recent developments at NRC-IOT, in particular the development of a laboratory-scale glider for dynamics and control research and the concept of a regional ocean observation system using underwater gliders.

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An underwater glider is a buoyancy-driven, fixedwing underwater vehicle that redistributes internal mass to control attitude. We examine the dynamics of a glider restricted to the vertical plane and derive a feedback law that stabilizes steady glide paths. The control law is physically motivated and with the appropriate choice of output can be interpreted as providing input-output feedback linearization. With this choice of output, we extend the feedback linearization approach to design control laws to coordinate the gliding motion of multiple underwater gliders.