The primary goal of this effort is to integrate and demonstrate multiple levels of autonomous decision making capabilities on an autonomous underwater vehicle. This effort supports
Integrated Precision Underwater Mapping (I-PUMA) development, where the Applied Research Laboratory - University of Texas (ARL-UT) is developing a wide-area search and obstacle-avoidance ahead-looking sonar (ALS) system to be integrated on a Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) 12-3/4 inch autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). The autonomous capabilities developed in this project will enable the AUV with I-PUMA ALS system to adapt to changing mission needs, environmental conditions, vehicle status, and sensor performance.
While both the ALS sensor and the AUV have their own inherent autonomous capabilities, JPL will develop and demonstrate and additional set of of intelligent behaviors. These include obstacle and terrain avoidance, terrain following within constricted environments (such as a harbor), real time ALS optimization via sensor mode selection and AUV operation, and on-the-fly mission modification based on in-situ sensor performance assessments.
This work is funded by the
Office of Naval Research (ONR).
