A communication framework for cost-effective operation of AUVs in coastal regions

Arvind Pereira, Hordur Heidarsson, Carl Oberg, David A. Caron, Burton Jones, Gaurav S. Sukhatme

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) are revolutionizing oceanography. Most high-endurance and long-range AUVs rely on satellite phones as their primary communications interface duringmissions for data/command telemetry due to its global coverage. Satellite phone (e.g., Iridium) expenses can make up a significant portion of an AUV’s operating budget during long missions. Slocum gliders are a type of AUV that provide unprecedented longevity in scientific missions for data collection. Here we describe a minimally-intrusive modification to the existing hardware and an accompanying software system that provides an alternative robust disruption-tolerant communications framework enabling cost-effective glider operation in coastal regions. Our framework is specifically designed to addressmultiple- AUV operations in a region covered by multiple networked base-stations equipped with radio modems. We provide a system overview and preliminary evaluation results from three field deployments using a glider.We believe that this framework can be extended to reduce operational costs for other AUVs during coastal operations.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)433-442
Number of pages10
JournalSpringer Tracts in Advanced Robotics
Volume62
DOIs
StatePublished - 2010
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2010.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering
  • Artificial Intelligence

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'A communication framework for cost-effective operation of AUVs in coastal regions'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this