Professional Documents
Culture Documents
capabilities in inspection, surveillance, exploration, and object detection in deep seas, at high speeds,
and over long distances. However,
the low-speed, high-maneuverability
operations required for near-shore and
littoral zone missions present mobility and sensing challenges that have
not been satisfactorily solved, despite
nearly half a century of AUV development. Very shallow water and littoral
environments are complex operating
zones, often turbid, cluttered with
obstacles, and with dynamically
changing currents and wave action.
AUVs need to be able to maneuver
around obstacles, operate at low
speeds, hover, and counteract surge
and currents. To develop AUVs that
can successfully navigate and operate in these dynamic and challenging
environments, Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) researchers have taken
SPECTRA
NRL FEATURES
The geometry of the bird wrasse was modeled and computational fluid
dynamics simulation was validated against experimental results.
WINTER 2014
water areas, so NRL is also developing new sensor systems for AUVs,
and again looking at fish for ideas. A
reliable system for navigating littoral
environments requires real-time knowledge of current velocities and object
positions. Conventional onboard sensors such as sonar and vision-based
systems have shortfalls in a cluttered,
shallow environment: sonar can suffer
from multipath propagation issues, and
vision-based systems are limited by
turbidity.
Additionally, these are active systems that emit sound or light, which
uses energy and exposes an AUV to
detection.
Fish use a system of hair-like flow
and pressure sensors, called a lateral
line, to detect changes and obstacles
in the environment around them. NRL
has studied these natural systems
and is developing an artificial lateral
line, a system of pressure sensors
mounted on the AUV hull to provide
NRL FEATURES
Demonstrating the WANDA AUV in the Littoral High Bay pool in NRLs Laboratory for
Autonomous Systems Research. The four-fin design enables the propulsion and control
needed for station-keeping and maneuvering in the presence of external disturbances
such as waves and currents. The cameras in the foreground of the top photo are used to
capture the three-dimensional motion of the vehicle in real time.
NRL FEATURES
The WANDA AUV deployed for testing in the Littoral High Bay in NRLs Laboratory for Autonomous Systems Research.