AUSI

Autonomous Undersea Systems Institute

AUSI participation

Autonomous Vehicle Behaviors

Researchers at AUSI and NUWC-Newport are working together to develop and test robot behaviors to support the creation of functionally robust mobile underwater vehicles. We are currently developing specifications for a set of behaviors, such as those which will support gateway functionality, a representative survey task, background navigation (including ranging), networked communications, and energy management. These will augment a set of cooperative behaviors already developed, including station-keeping, box and lawnmower survey behaviors.

To support this research, we have developed a layered approach to creating and using behaviors. This approach is built upon the specification of an AUV Common Control Language (CCL), and includes the following layers:

  1. CCL Vocabulary and Message Set Specification
  2. CCL Support Library
  3. Basic Behavior Process Set
  4. Mission Interpreter
  5. Cost-based Real-time Planning
See the paper A Common Control Language to Support Multiple Cooperating AUVS for a more complete discussion of this work.