Ocean deployment and testing of a semi-autonomous underwater vehicle

We present the design overview and navigation performance for an offshore deployment of a semi-autonomous underwater vehicle (sAUV). The system is based on a commercially-available observation class remotely operated vehicle (ROV), combined with a commercial AUV navigation system. The vehicle also has onboard visual cameras, a Doppler velocity log, and a multibeam imaging sonar. We present the integration of the various subsystems as well as a Robot Operating System (ROS)- based interface that allows researchers to visualize sensor and navigation data and send commands to the vehicle in real time. Results from an April 2016 offshore trial are presented, demonstrating the station keeping and waypoint following capabilities of the vehicle in open water.