Using geometric control to design trajectories for an AUV to map and sample the summit of the Loihi submarine volcano

Autonomous underwater vehicles are commonly used for ocean exploration and this research illustrates one of their typical applications. Here, a practical mapping and sampling mission for the summit of the Loihi submarine volcano, a seismically active seamount southeast of the Island of Hawaii, is designed and simulated. Mapping the underwater volcano is safety-critical for monitoring earthquakes and tsunami warnings caused by the active volcano. mal vents located at the summit also increase the interest in exploration and experimentation. These kinds of underwater scenarios are highly dangerous. For instance, the rapidly changing landscape of Loihi witnesses continuously falling rocks. Therefore, the mathematical framework of geometric control theory is used to take into account the possibility of loosing some degrees of freedom due to actuator failures. Moreover, the proposed control strategy can be augmented with a state feedback control in case of full actuation. Graphic simulations show the effectiveness of this approach in handling initial perturbations.