Optimized path planning for marine vehicles considering uncertainty

The majority of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) spend most of their energy in order to propel themselves. Therefore, a good path planning technique can improve both their autonomy and range, thus their performance. This paper proposes an optimized trajectory planning methodology able to find the best possible path from a starting point to a target position, taking advantage of the water currents. In addition, the possibility of water currents changing throughout the path is contemplated and both the optimal path and currents field are updated based on the detected deviations in a predefined number of checkpoints along the path. Finally, an estimate of the vehicle's real path is performed.