High-bandwidth acoustic data communication for stand-off identification by autonomous underwater vehicles

Stand-off mine countermeasure (MCM) operations with unmanned systems frequently require user involvement for the interpretation of image data, for classification and identification, and for decision-making during mine disposal. As the transfer of image data usually requires tethering, this leads to cumbersome operating procedures. We have...

Development of a Physical Layer for Adaptive Underwater Acoustic Communications

For underwater acoustic modems to operate in a time-varying environment, in-mission adaptation is desirable. A physical layer has been designed that supports mechanisms for ad-hoc configuration changes based on (in-situ and indirectly obtained) channel and noise conditions. Coded preambles are used to instruct the receiver of a configuration...

QoS-enabled underwater acoustic communications

For enabling efficient operation of untethered underwater vehicles, error-free underwater communication of command-and-control and telemetry data is a necessity. In contrast, the communication requirements for the sensor data of these vehicles are often less stringent, i.e., a few bad pixels in a SONAR image might be tolerated. To maximize...

The unmanned underwater vehicle: An alternative for the SSK or a valuable addition?

The future of manned submarines is currently in question as a result of rapid developments in autonomy in other fields (e.g. autonomous cars). Therefore, the feasibility of an unmanned submarine, basically a large unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV), as a replacement for a conventional diesel-electric submarine (SSK), was investigated....

Analysis of underwater acoustic propagation in a harbour environment and its effect on communication

Acoustic underwater communication is an enabler for the use of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). AUVs can operate in acoustically challenging environments, e.g., near offshore platforms and in harbours. To realize robust underwater communication in such environments, the propagation conditions need to be properly understood. In this paper,...

Blind equalization of underwater acoustic channels using implicit higher-order statistics

Can I Communicate With My AUV? Performance and challenges is shallow water

The prospects for an increased future use of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) in the Maritime & Offshore sector are high, mainly due to the search for cost effectiveness. AUVs reduce the need for large crews, divers and vessels in the operational area. AUVs are already operational for bathymetric and environmental mapping, pipeline tracking...