AUV localisation: a review of passive and active techniques

Abstract

AbstractLocalisation, i.e. estimation of one’s position in a given environment is a crucial element of many mobile systems, manned and unmanned. Due to the high demand for autonomous exploration, patrolling and inspection services and a rapid improvement of batteries, sensors and machine learning algorithms, the quality of localisation becomes even more important for smart robotic systems. The underwater domain is a very challenging environment due to the water blocking most of the signals over short distances. Recent results in localisation techniques for underwater vehicles are summarised in two principal categories: passive techniques, which strive to provide the best estimation of the vehicle’s position (global or local) given the past and current information from sensors, and active techniques, which additionally produce guidance output that is expected to minimise the uncertainty of estimated position.