Communication challenges for dual configuration of ASV and AUV in twinned coordinated navigation

Communications between two autonomous vehicles has been always an important challenge, especially when one of the vehicles is intended for conducting submerged navigation most of its operational time. Underwater communications become in that case the one most common and feasible way for allowing data transferring underneath the sea surface. Considering low cost of the final vehicle as one of the main features in the concept of this project, a low power low-cost acoustic modem initially intended for environmental sensor applications has been adopted. With the purpose of increasing at maximum the energy reservoir, this modem includes among others, self-wake capabilities and directional transmission. The present work continues in the validation of this acoustic device for application in Underwater Unmanned Vehicles (UUV) in multivehicle configurations. Different solutions for solving the problems associated to the difficulty of conducting robust and reliable data transferring by using this device are presented.