Development of a catamaran type autonomous surface vehicle for observing marine environments

Abstract

This paper addresses the design and development of a catamaran-type autonomous surface vehicle (ASV) for autonomously performing various tasks in marine environments. The ASV hardware is developed on a catamaran hull form by integration various system components. In addition, the guidance, navigation and control (GNC) system including software algorithms for vehicle autonomy is developed and implemented in consideration of autonomous capabilities. Specifically, waypoint tracking and obstacle avoidance approaches as essential maneuvering capabilities for autonomous navigation are implemented on the system. This paper describes the development process of the ASV and its preliminary field test results.