Multiple AUV control in an operational context: a leader - follower approach

As autonomous underwater vehicles universally establish themselves as invaluable tools to provide unprecedented results in a variety of scientific, industrial and naval scenarios, the focus of development is gradually shifting towards considering the operation of multiple cooperating vehicles. There is widespread consensus on that despite the added complexity of having to operate several vehicles, the multiple AUV approach enables the definition of new interesting scenarios which offer a potential improvement in the quality of the collected data and a reduction in operational costs.