A Maneuverable Underwater Vehicle (NS-MUV): Navigating Real Seabed Environments Part 4 of 4

Original video: https://youtu.be/199sULqTJZg

Underwater robots can collect comprehensive information on species and habitats when conducting seabed operations, enhancing localized insights and expanding underwater ecological understanding. One approach uses autonomous underwater vehicles, but proximity operations may disturb sediments and compromise observation quality. Another approach uses wheeled or legged benthic robots, but unavoidable contact limits their application in delicate ecosystems like coral reefs. To address these challenges, we propose a maneuverable underwater vehicle for near-seabed observations. This vehicle moves with minimal turbulence and shows strong resistance to external disturbances, enabling high-quality seabed observation as close as 20 cm. It rapidly detects intense disturbances like turbulence and wall effects, allowing real-time path planning to prevent bottoming. Multiple tests in various marine environments, including sandy areas, coral reefs, and sheer rock, show low sediment disturbance and improved adaptability to rugged underwater terrain.

This video (Part 4 of our NS-MUV series) demonstrates the robot's ability to traverse various real-world seabed terrains. Equipped with one degree of freedom for forward motion, one for steering, and two additional degrees of freedom for rotation (pitch and roll), the NS-MUV showcases its enhanced maneuverability. Our field experiments highlight that these rotational capabilities significantly improve the robot's ability to navigate rugged undersea landscapes. The video shows the robot being controlled by a driver who uses camera feedback from the user interface to adjust its pose, effectively tackling diverse seabed conditions.

Watch Part 1: https://youtu.be/adjkmXAoWXE

Watch Part 2: https://youtu.be/fDrT12Qm1SQ

Watch Part 3: https://youtu.be/ziCflrkoltg

Keywords: Near-Seabed Underwater Vehicle, NS-MUV, Real Seabed Environments, Navigation, Maneuverability, Rugged Undersea Terrains, Camera Feedback, Remote Control, Underwater Exploration.

Citation:

Liu, K., Ding, M., Pan, B. et al. A maneuverable underwater vehicle for near-seabed observation. Nat Commun 15, 10284 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54600-8

Published on: 27 November 2024

Attribution 4.0 International — CC BY 4.0 - Creative Commons