Experimental verification of mission planning by autonomous mission execution and data visualization using the NPS AUV II

The authors describe recent results in mission execution and post-mission data analysis from the NPS autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) II testbed underwater vehicle. Ongoing research is focused on control technology to meet the needs of future naval autonomous underwater vehicles. These vehicles are unmanned untethered free-swimming robotic submarines to be used for naval missions including search, mapping, surveillance, and intervention activity. The approach taken at NPS combines integrated computer simulation, real-time robust control theory, computer architecture and code development, vehicle and component design and experimentation, sonar data analysis, and data visualization. The major thrusts of this overall research program are in the areas of mission planning, both offline and online; mission execution including navigation, collision avoidance, replanning, object recognition, vehicle dynamic response and motion control; real-time control software architecture and implementation; and the issues of post-mission data analysis