Jul 2026· 2026 6th International Conference on Electrical, Computer and Energy Technologies (ICECET)· pp. 1-6· 0 citations· 11 references
Abstract
This paper presents the system design and sea-trial validation of a long-duration autonomous unmanned surface vessel developed for cultural heritage survey missions in coastal and shallow-water environments. The proposed USV adopts a 48 VDC-based power distribution architecture supplying propulsion, navigation, control, communication, and exploration subsystems. To enhance operational reliability and fault tolerance, dual independent battery banks and a differential twin-thruster propulsion system are employed, enabling continued maneuverability under partial system failure conditions. For seabed exploration, the USV integrates a multibeam echo sounder (MBES) and a side-scan sonar (SSS) within a mode-based exploration framework that supports wide-area bathymetric mapping, high-resolution seabed imaging, and integrated survey missions. Autonomous navigation is achieved through GNSS-AHRS sensor fusion, providing real-time position and attitude estimation, while seamless switching between autonomous and remote-control modes ensures safe and flexible operation. A compact catamaran-type prototype with a maximum speed of 4 knots was developed and validated through real sea trials. Experimental results demonstrate stable autonomous trajectory tracking and reliable mode switching during more than 4 hours of continuous operation. Battery state of charge (SoC) measurements indicate sufficient energy margins, corresponding to an estimated operational endurance exceeding 6 hours. These results demonstrate that the proposed system provides a reliable system-level USV platform integrating autonomous navigation, fault-tolerant power architecture, and multi-sensor exploration capabilities validated through real sea trials.
Human-occupied vehicles (HOVs), constrained by substantial volume and weight, encounter significant challenges in exploring complex seabed terrains, such as rugged seabed and confined operational spaces. To compensate for the limitations of HOV, a micro-observation-class remotely operated vehicle (ROV) tethered to the HOV Shen Hai Yong Shi was developed to enhance HOV’s exploration capability in complex seabed terrains. This paper, for the first time, presents an overall design of the functions and composition of the deep-sea micro-observation-class ROV system. In the design of the micro ROV mechanical, electrical and control systems, the payload space, weight and energy constraints of the HOV are considered. A power supply and communication scheme is designed for the ROV from the mother HOV via an optoelectronic composite umbilical cable. This scheme provides sufficient weight margins and spatial allocation for the thrusters and detection sensors, thereby significantly optimising the ROV's performance in terms of lightweighting and motion maneuverability. The design concept of the micro-observation-class ROV, mounted on the HOV Shen Hai Yong Shi, has been comprehensively validated during a sea trial at a depth of 1,380 m.
Jinrong Zheng, Xianbo Xiang, Shaolong Yang et al.· Brodogradnja· 0 citations
Changes in the quality of the lake environment due to human activities demand efficient and sustainable monitoring solutions. This research designed a navigation guidance system for the solar autonomous boat that operates independently using solar energy and designed as a modular navigation unit to support future swarm-based cooperation between multiple vessels. The system relies on GPS ATGM336H and GY-271 digital compass sensor as positioning and direction determinants, controlled by a TTGO ESP32 LoRa microcontroller. Navigation data is processed in real-time and sent over the LoRa network to a central or intership gateway. This research focuses on the development and validation of the autonomous navigation core, providing the necessary guidance capabilities for integration into a swarm unmanned surface vehicle (USV) framework. The test results showed that the boat could follow the destination's direction with an accuracy of 92%, where most of the trajectory was within the pre-programmed directional tolerance. The average direction error was recorded at 5.4 degrees, within acceptable tolerance limits. The system can adaptively maintain a stable heading and respond to aquatic environmental conditions. By establishing this stable autonomous navigation baseline, the system provides a scalable platform for future swarm implementations aimed at improving large-scale environmental monitoring. This system is considered successful as an intelligent and sustainable autonomous navigation solution.
The preservation of submerged cultural heritage depends on the ability to locate, document, and monitor sites before they are degraded or lost. Although the North American Great Lakes contain thousands of exceptionally well-preserved shipwrecks, their large geographic extent and diverse operating environments present significant challenges for efficient archeological survey. This study presents a multi-platform autonomous survey framework developed and implemented during 2021–2022 field campaigns in Lake Michigan and Lake Ontario. The framework integrates autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs), crewed vessels, side-scan sonar, multibeam bathymetry, magnetometry, optical imaging, and field-based data review within a hierarchical workflow comprising wide-area assessment (WAA) reconnaissance, high-resolution geophysical (HRG) mapping, adaptive mission refinement, and visual confirmation. The surveys produced 19.72 km2 of geophysical coverage, including side-scan sonar mosaics, bathymetric surfaces, magnetic anomaly maps, and optical imagery that supported archeological interpretation. A case study from Lake Ontario demonstrates the framework’s effectiveness through the confirmation of a previously undocumented wooden shipwreck using complementary acoustic, magnetic, and visual datasets. Beyond the individual discoveries, the results demonstrate how integrated autonomous systems improve survey efficiency, support adaptive decision-making, and provide scalable methods for digital documentation, baseline site characterization, long-term monitoring, and preservation of submerged cultural heritage in freshwater and marine environments.
Aiming at the problems of high sea condition susceptibility, low automation level, and high operational risks in the storage, transportation, launching, and recovery of shipborne Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) under complex marine wind and wave environments, this paper designs an AUV launching and recovery device with a wheeled mobile chassis. The device integrates three core modules: a wheeled transfer platform, a multi-degree-of-freedom telescopic manipulator, and a modular open-close net cage. The wheeled chassis enables flexible deck transportation and rapid positioning of the AUV; the 360° rotatable and telescopic manipulator adapts to multiple operation positions for flexible launching and precise deployment; the open-close net cage significantly improves AUV recovery efficiency and operational safety. Structural strength analysis via SolidWorks plug-in verifies the device’s mechanical performance and reliability under rated load. Experimental and analytical results show the device has good stability and sea condition adaptability, with prominent advantages in deck transportation, operation accuracy, and complex environment adaptability, providing technical schemes and design references for efficient and safe launching and recovery of shipborne AUVs.
Jian-Li Wang, Ming-Wang Song, Xuan Qi et al.· Journal of Physics, Conferen...· 0 citations
Highlights Which are the main findings? A state-of-the-art review of celestial navigation technologies identifies solar-based positioning as a technically feasible and strategically relevant complement to conventional Autonomous Underwater Vehicles, providing periodic absolute position fixes to correct Inertial Navigation System/Doppler Velocity Log drift and offering a credible independent fallback navigation in Global Navigation Satellite System-denied environments. A preliminary spatial layout for incorporating Sunto’s Solar Tracking Sensor and a Tracking Control Intelligence unit into a Light Autonomous Underwater Vehicle platform is proposed. This conceptual analysis illustrates the theoretical geometric feasibility of the module, establishing a baseline for future hydrodynamic validation. What are the implications of the main findings? The proposed conceptual framework illustrates how celestial navigation can theoretically provide periodic absolute position fixes to correct Inertial Navigation System/Doppler Velocity Log drift, thus offering a credible Global Navigation Satellite System-independent fallback for long-endurance Autonomous Underwater Vehicle missions. The proposed ten-step development methodology establishes a reproducible Autonomous Underwater Vehicle platform integration framework applicable to future celestial navigation systems. Abstract Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) are incompatible with the underwater domain as radiofrequency signals cannot penetrate the water column, leaving Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) reliant on dead-reckoning systems that accumulate positional errors over time. When AUVs surface to reset their navigation, they face another challenge: GNSS itself is increasingly vulnerable to jamming and spoofing in contested environments. Automated Celestial Navigation (CN) has emerged as a promising alternative to other navigation methods, making it possible to derive the absolute position from observations of celestial bodies, entirely independent of human-made signals. This work provides a state-of-the-art review of automated CN technologies, focusing on the literature from 2020 onwards. The review covers Solar Tracking Sensors (STSs), star trackers and horizon detection algorithms and assesses their suitability for AUV integration through a structured SWOT analysis. Following this, a conceptual CN system based on Sunto’s STS is developed for the Light Autonomous Underwater Vehicle platform employing a proposed ten-step integration methodology. Computer-Aided Design models illustrate the conceptual setup, though hydrodynamic/structural verification remains subject to future work. Results suggest that solar-based CN can serve as a periodic absolute position corrector within a hybrid AUV navigation architecture, without requiring satellite infrastructure, which contributes towards a more resilient AUV navigation.
S. Lampreia, Hugo Policarpo, Pedro P. de Almeida et al.· Italian National Conference...· 0 citations
Man Overboard (MOB) incidents require rapid rescue operations because delayed response significantly reduces the probability of victim survival. Conventional life buoys provide flotation assistance but cannot autonomously approach the victim, resulting in rescue operations that rely heavily on manual intervention by the ship's crew. This study aims to design and evaluate Varuna Buoy, an autonomous maritime rescue vehicle employing the Point-to-Point Navigation method to improve rescue response effectiveness. The proposed system integrates an ESP32 microcontroller, Neo-6M GPS receiver, HW127 digital compass, BTS7960 motor driver, modified bilge pump thrusters, and LoRa wireless communication module. Navigation is performed by combining Haversine distance estimation, azimuth bearing calculation, and differential thrust control to continuously minimize heading error while navigating toward predetermined target coordinates. The system was evaluated through ten autonomous navigation experiments conducted under two different initial heading scenarios at Ketintang Lake, Universitas Negeri Surabaya. Experimental results showed that the proposed system successfully navigated toward the target with final distances ranging from 1.27 m to 2.62 m, achieving a 70% navigation success rate based on a predefined stopping threshold of 2 m. Furthermore, the LoRa communication system achieved an average latency of 1.06 s, enabling reliable near real-time telemetry. These findings demonstrate that the proposed autonomous navigation system provides a practical and effective solution for maritime rescue applications and offers a promising foundation for future autonomous rescue vehicle development.
H. Eyrlangga· Indonesian Journal of Engine...· 0 citations
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