Vision-based docking using an autonomous surface vehicle

This paper describes the development and experimental evaluation of a novel vision-based Autonomous Surface Vehicle with the purpose of performing coordinated docking manoeuvres with a target, such as an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, on the water’s surface. The system architecture integrates two small processor units; the first performs vehicle control and implements a virtual force obstacle avoidance and docking strategy, with the second performing vision-based target segmentation and tracking. Furthermore, the architecture utilises wireless sensor network technology allowing the vehicle to be observed by, and even integrated within an ad-hoc sensor network. The system performance is demonstrated through realworld experiments.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2008
• Where: ICRA
• Authors: Matthew Dunbabin, Brenton Lang, Brett Wood
• Keywords: Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, ICRA 2008, Robotics, Vision-based Autonomous Surface, first Performs Vehicle