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Description
Within this project, it will be developed an end-to-end solution for bathymetric mapping with unmanned vehicles. By deploying both ASVs and AUVs, we build a system that can create seamless maps of water bodies, between shallow and deeper areas. Furthermore, we can exploit the benefits of each system and tackle their limitations.
By thus communicating and cooperating, the unmanned vehicle team will be able to provide seamless and high-quality bathymetric maps at a low cost. The benefits of individual vehicles can be exploited to create one value-added innovative survey system solution.
The CoMap system proposes the following innovations and advantages:
1. Modular multi-vehicle system for bathymetric mapping: a new system that is not currently available on the market.
2. Dynamic allocation of AUVs and ASV for optimal area coverage and efficiency.
3. Lightweight multi-vehicle system to reduce Operational Expenditure (OPEX) and Capital Expenditure (CAPEX): reduce cost for existing surveyors and enable customers at a limited budget to run bathymetric surveys.
4. Low operator footprint: enable single operator surveys.
5. Synergistic capabilities arising from coordinated planning and execution control: enable using the AUV and ASV in areas where they can most efficiently map.
Summary of project results
Conducting bathymetry mapping in coastal regions is often a challenging task, as it involves navigating in demanding conditions such as wavy, shallow, and dynamic waters. The CoMap project has innovatively tackled the challenge of producing high-quality bathymetric maps of coastal waters by using a variety of robots that are automatically assigned to areas where they perform best in surveying while helping each other localize and communicate. Human operators are assisted in the operation of the system by keeping them informed about the individual and overall mapping quality and progress. The simultaneous use of diverse robots is beneficial because they can be strategically deployed and assist each other in navigation and communications. However, this usually increases operational complexity, operator workload and stress. To counter this, CoMap has enhanced both the onboard and offboard intelligence of its systems, thereby reducing the need for human operator intervention.
In what concerns ATI#1 (Management), periodic meetings have been conducted for establishing overall project progress. In-person integration weeks and water demonstrations / deployments have been organized in the months of September 2022 and September 2023. Finally, a public demonstration and workshop for the CoMap system has been organized in September 2023, at the end of the project.
In what concerns ATI#2 (Multi-robot design), a number of meetings took place to discuss the design of the system as well as the communication protocols. As a result of these interactions, the previously existing communications protocol (IMC) has been extended with several new messages which are specific to the requirements of CoMap project. The results of the meetings and protocol are documented in Deliverables D2.1 (Multi-robot System Architecture Design report) and D2.2 (Command and Control Interoperability report). A scriptable mock interface has been developed, that allows replaying a file with timed inputs to validate the correct protocol implementation by the different partners / modules, before the final software modules were available.
In what concerns ATI#3 (Multi-robot control station), FEUP has extended the Neptus Command & Control Software with new plugins specific to the CoMap project. The plug-ins allow the definition of a World Model, specifying the area(s) to be inspected, estimated bathymetry and required inspections (type of sensors).
Moreover, the plug-in will receive the announced robot capabilities and associate tasks to available automatically and optimally. Finally, during execution, the plug-in will visualize the progress of individual tasks alerting the user in case a task is not fulfilled correctly or is taking too long. The Neptus console has been validated in simulation and the field multiple times.
In what concerns ATI#4 (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle System), OMST has improved the mechanical design of the LAUV to assemble a Multibeam sonar payload and Evologics acoustic modem. The LAUV-OMST-2 vehicle has been assembled with these two new systemans and was deployed with final configuration in the REPMUS 2022 exercise, at Sesimbra. Regarding the software developments for AT#4, the DUNE onboard system was extended to implement the CoMap protocol, now advertising the vehicle (sensing) capabilities to the network, accepting associated tasks and reporting survey progress through Wi-Fi or the acoustic channel. Moreover, whenever the localization uncertainty is too high, the LAUV will now request a navigation (USBL) aid to any surrounding systems capable of providing a more accurate position to the vehicle. The DUNE system was also improved by generating a schedule of tasks to be executed sequentially, by generating survey patterns for surveying polygonal areas completely and by assessing the survey progress and quality during execution.
In what concerns ATI#5 (Autonomous Surface Vehicle system), MR has developed the ASV hardware required to encompass the Acoustic Modem and Multibeam Sonar. Moreover, IMC messaging has been implemented on the MR software system, to support the communication protocol defined in ATI#2. A functional prototype implementation of the system was demonstrated in REPMUS 2022 with the project partners. Largely helped by the workshop held in preparation for the exercise. For the future implementation we will focus on refining the system, our internal code to reach the quality parameters and squish bugs. We will also focus on making the system more robust, easy to set up and increase user-friendliness. In what concerns ATI#6 (System integration, evaluation and testing), OMST has created and implemented the plan for integration of the different components. This plan started with software-only simulation (including simulation of acoustic communications), Hardware-in-the-loop simulations (using the actual modems and computational systems of the vehicles) and in-water testing. Each partner has initially conducted testing at their premises, in simulations or in the water. To substitute the missing modules from other partners, mocking interfaces have been used. The first conjoint deployment took place in Sesimbra, September 2022 and a second one year later in September 2023 also at Sesimbra and later, in Porto, for the final demonstration.
In the preliminary field deployments, part of the integration plan, it was possible to validate that:
All systems developed by the different partners were capable of executing mapping tasks similarly to their simulated counterparts.
All assets were capable of communicating with each other using long distance wi-fi communications.
The operator console could show the positions of all assets.
All assets announced their capabilities to the CoMap system (over Wi-Fi)
The operator console could be used to define the tasks of the different assets.
The different assets executed their assigned tasks.
The ASV was capable of ranging and locating the AUV using its USBL acoustic modem.
Multiple bugs and limitations were detected and later corrected for the next iteration of testing, such as different interpretations of tasks that did not correspond to a convex hull polygon, points and lines. These preliminary tests were a great opportunity to synchronize and define strictly what was expected from the systems.
In the final field deployments, which happened in 2023 both at Sesimbra and in Porto, the CoMap system was tested in its final state. In these tests, the robots have been automatically allocated to tasks by the Neptus console and the USBL fixes (when required) were integrated into the navigation filter of the underwater vehicle.
In what concerns ATI#7, the Deliverable D7.2 (Dissemination and Exploitation Plan) has been created with the planned initiatives. The three partners of the project have participated (conjointly) in the different exhibitions and in the demonstrations of the system at REPMUS22, REPMUS23 and in Porto, where the CoMap project has been presented. Moreover, the project website is live and a number of social media posts have been created and shared.
The key outcome of CoMap is a sophisticated system comprising Autonomous Submarines developed by OceanScan and Autonomous Boats developed by Maritime Robotics. These are all managed by a single human operator using the Neptus console, developed at FEUP. The CoMap system simplifies the acquisition of high-resolution coastal water maps by fully automating the process, irrespective of the area size and number of vehicles employed. Commercially, the CoMap consortium has replicated this system, delivering a similar array of heterogeneous robots and operator console to the Polish Naval Academy upon the project''s completion.
Results by
Summary of bilateral results
Norway, a donor country for the EEA grants, was an ideal partner, bringing Maritime Robotics'' expertise in autonomous surface vehicles to the fore. Their contributions were particularly crucial in conducting rigorous experiments in the challenging Nordic waters. The company''s experience in developing operational systems for coastal surveying was a key asset to the project.Maritime Robotics'' involvement went beyond mere consultation. Their team made multiple trips to Portugal, actively engaging in the integration, testing, and demonstration phases of the CoMap system. This direct, hands-on collaboration was instrumental in blending a variety of tools, techniques, and problem-solving methods. Despite the diversity in approaches, each contributed effectively to the project, demonstrating the power of collaborative innovation. The partners, though different in their methods, found common ground intheir shared goal, leading to a fruitful exchange of knowledge and skills. This synergy not only accelerated the project''s progress but also enhanced the operational capabilities of all entities involved. Norway''s contribution to CoMap was further justified given the country''s extensive coastline and maritime infrastructure, which naturally creates a demand for sophisticated mapping systems. The Norwegian industries, with their need for detailed knowledge of the sea bed and dynamic coastal areas, represent a significant potential customer base for such technologies.The project''s culmination in a successful sale underscored the commercial interest and market potential for the CoMap system. This achievement was not just a triumph for the Portuguese and Norwegian partners but also a clear indication of the market viability of the technologies developed. It highlighted the commercial opportunities that can arise from such cross-border collaborations.Página