Development of hovering-type AUV “cyclops” for precision observation

This paper presents a novel hovering-type AUV(Autonomous Underwater Vehicle) system for precision observation. The vehicle design focused on precise localization and maneuverability to acquire precise visual data. The concept of the proposed vehicle hardware/software system is described in detail. To maximize the system´s flexibility, the thrusters´ layout can easily be adjusted for optimal performance. Experiments were carried out to verify the positioning accuracy because high-accuracy positioning is required to enable AUVs to acquire precise data and excellent maneuvering performance.