Design and testing of navigation algorithm for shallow water autonomous underwater vehicle

A remotely operated underwater vehicle, the Phantom S2, is being converted to an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) for shallow water and coastal environments. As a part of this project, a three-layered fuzzy logic controller was developed and combined with a path planning algorithm to navigate the vehicle in dynamic environments. Simulated experiments have been created in a virtual testbed to test the developed controller prior to, and during real pool tests. The testbed utilizes a virtual model of the Phantom S2, which imitates the dynamic behavior of the actual vehicle in various environmental conditions. The vehicle´s motion and behavior can be observed, recorded and used to fine tune the control variables.