Applying Unmanned Ground Vehicle Technologies To Unmanned Surface Vehicles

Abstract

Development of Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) has been ongoing for decades. Much of the technology developed for UGVs can be applied directly to Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) with little or no modification. SPAWAR Systems Center San Diego (SSC San Diego) has successfully demonstrated this by transitioning technology (both hardware and software) from a man-portable UGV to a USV demonstrator platform. By transitioning technology already proven in a UGV, SSC San Diego was able to develop a working USV much more quickly than would have been otherwise possible. The technologies ported from the UGV to the USV include: the software architecture and protocol, teleoperation, a Kalman filter for state estimates, waypoint navigation, the Operator Control Unit (OCU), miniature processors, Ethernet switches and a video CODEC board.

Path‐following algorithms and experiments for an unmanned surface vehicle

“…After that, research mainly focuses on the development and integration of sensors for over-the-water obstacle detection and avoidance. Examples are given by the test bed developed at SSC San Diego (Ebken, Bruch, & Lum, 2005), based on the Bombardier SeaDoo Challenger 2000, and the Israeli Protector USV, 1 equipped with radar and advanced electro-optical devices.…”

Autonomous Surface Craft: prototypes and basic research issues

“…in areas not restricted to maritime traffic, relies, in the author's opinion, in the lack, at the current state-of-the-art, of a reliable methodology for obstacle avoidance. If the first basic steps in the direction of implementing collision avoidance strategies according to the rules of the road have being taken [14], the bottleneck is yet in the availability of effective and reliable obstacle detection sensors even if preliminary work is being carried out in the military field such as in the temptative of integrating a radar and artificial vision devices on the SSC San Diego [9]. Lasergated intensified CCD (LGICCD) could represent a dramatic improvement in obstacle detection at sea.…”

“…Since RIBs are usually already operated by navies and can carry larger fuel tanks to increase the endurance of the mission, at present many military projects are based on this class of vessels as in the case of the Spartan USV programme for the development of a main platform with a set of modular mission payloads. Another interesting prototype is the USV testbed at SSC San Diego, based on the Bombradier SeaDoo Challenger 2000 and powered by a Mercury 250-hp OptiMax fuel-injected V-6 [9]. Kalman filter and waypoint navigation system developed at SSC San Diego has been transferred to the USV.…”

“…• the family of autonomous vessels developed at MIT, consisting of the fishing trawler-like vehicle ARTEMIS, the catamarans ACES (Autonomous Coastal Exploration System) and AutoCat [1] [2], and the kayak SCOUT (Surface Craft for Oceanographic and Undersea Testing) [3]; • the autonomous vessels developed in Europe such as the Measuring Dolphin of the University of Rostock (Germany) [4], the catamaran Delfim [5] and the boat Caravela [6] developed by the DSOR lab of Lisbon IST-ISR, the autonomous catamarans Charlie of CNR-ISSIA Genova (Italy) [7], and Springer, under development at the University of Plymouth (UK) [8]; • the unmanned surface vessels developed for military purposes such as the testbed of the SSC San Diego [9], the QinetiQ Ltd SWIMS systems [10], and the Israeli Protector USV. Basic research issues will be examined in section III, starting from the definition and identification of practical ASC dynamics models, going to advanced methodologies for control, guidance and mission control.…”

Unmanned Surface Vehicle for Coastal and Protected Waters Applications: the Charlie Project

“…SWIMS basically consisted of the development of a conversion kit to transform existing Combat Support Boats, already operated by the British Army, in remote controlled vessels. Other military USVs such as the testbed developed at SSC San Diego (Ebken et al, 2005), based on the Bombardier SeaDoo Challenger 2000, and the Israeli Protector USV focus research and development efforts in the integration of sensors for over-the-water obstacle detection and avoidance as, for instance, radar, electrooptic sensors and machine vision technologies.…”