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Advancements in New Concepts of Underwater Robotics
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Advancements in New Concepts of Underwater Robotics

A special issue of Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (ISSN 2077-1312). This special issue belongs to the section "Ocean Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 August 2024) | Viewed by 8628

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Yunsai Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Innovative Development, Harbin Engineering University, Qingdao 266000, China
Interests: deep-sea exploring and salvage; new-concept subsea robotics; autonomous underwater vehicles; reliability and safety
Prof. Dr. Xiufen Ye

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Intelligent Systems Science and Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin 150001, China
Interests: underwater optical and acoustic image processing; target detection and recognition; underwater intelligent robots

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The ocean is rich in oil and gas energy reseves, rare minerals and sea creatures. As such, it is regarded as crucial object of reseach from a wide array of perspectives including scientific, environmental, as well as military. In this context, underwater robotic systems have emerged as a fascinating research area and a promising industry tool as advanced technologies are being increasingly explored to design various subsystems. Significant research efforts have been undertaken to develop new concepts of underwater robotics, such as the development of new materials, advanced computing and sensory technology, and new theories, to overcome the many engineering challenges engendered by the unstructured and hazardous ocean environment.

This Special Issue aims to collate research papers that provide an overview of the recent progress in the investigation and practical applications of new underwater robotics concepts. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following: design method; control algorithm; topological optimization; hydrodynamic analysis; prognosis and health management; practical applications and experiments; reliability and safety; and future perspectives for underwater robotics.

Prof. Dr. Yunsai Chen
Prof. Dr. Xiufen Ye
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • design method
  • control algorithm
  • topological optimization
  • hydrodynamic analysis
  • prognosis and health management
  • practical applications and experiments
  • safety and reliability
  • future perspectives for underwater robotics

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Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 1997 KiB  
Article
Full Coverage Path Planning for Torpedo-Type AUVs’ Marine Survey Confined in Convex Polygon Area
by Ji-Hong Li, Hyungjoo Kang, Min-Gyu Kim, Mun-Jik Lee and Han-Sol Jin
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(9), 1522; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12091522 - 2 Sep 2024
Viewed by 336
Abstract
In this paper, we present a full coverage path planning (CPP) algorithm for the marine surveys conducted in the convex polygon shaped search area. The survey is supposed to carry out by torpedo-type AUVs (autonomous underwater vehicles). Due to their nonholonomic mechanical characteristics, [...] Read more.
In this paper, we present a full coverage path planning (CPP) algorithm for the marine surveys conducted in the convex polygon shaped search area. The survey is supposed to carry out by torpedo-type AUVs (autonomous underwater vehicles). Due to their nonholonomic mechanical characteristics, these vehicles have nonzero minimum turning radius. For any given polygon shaped search area, it can always be partitioned into one or more convex polygons. With this in mind, this paper proposes a novel search algorithm called CbSPSA (Calculation based Shortest Path Search Algorithm) for full coverage of any given convex polygon shaped search area. By aligning the search inter-tracks alongside the edge with the minimum height, we can guarantee the minimum number of the vehicle’s turns. In addition, the proposed method can guarantee the planned path is strictly located inside the polygon area without overlapped or crossed path lines, and also has the total path length as short as possible. Considering the vehicle’s nonzero minimum turning radius, we also propose a sort of smoothing algorithm which can smooth the waypoint path searched by CbSPSA so that the vehicle can exactly follow it. The smoothed path is also guaranteed to be strictly located inside the polygon. Numerical simulation analyses are also carried out to verify the effectiveness of the proposed schemes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancements in New Concepts of Underwater Robotics)
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15 pages, 41457 KiB  
Article
MSFE-UIENet: A Multi-Scale Feature Extraction Network for Marine Underwater Image Enhancement
by Shengya Zhao, Xinkui Mei, Xiufen Ye and Shuxiang Guo
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(9), 1472; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12091472 - 23 Aug 2024
Viewed by 433
Abstract
Underwater optical images have outstanding advantages for short-range underwater target detection tasks. However, owing to the limitations of special underwater imaging environments, underwater images often have several problems, such as noise interference, blur texture, low contrast, and color distortion. Marine underwater image enhancement [...] Read more.
Underwater optical images have outstanding advantages for short-range underwater target detection tasks. However, owing to the limitations of special underwater imaging environments, underwater images often have several problems, such as noise interference, blur texture, low contrast, and color distortion. Marine underwater image enhancement addresses degraded underwater image quality caused by light absorption and scattering. This study introduces MSFE-UIENet, a high-performance network designed to improve image feature extraction, resulting in deep-learning-based underwater image enhancement, addressing the limitations of single convolution and upsampling/downsampling techniques. This network is designed to enhance the image quality in underwater settings by employing an encoder–decoder architecture. In response to the underwhelming enhancement performance caused by the conventional networks’ sole downsampling method, this study introduces a pyramid downsampling module that captures more intricate image features through multi-scale downsampling. Additionally, to augment the feature extraction capabilities of the network, an advanced feature extraction module was proposed to capture detailed information from underwater images. Furthermore, to optimize the network’s gradient flow, forward and backward branches were introduced to accelerate its convergence rate and improve stability. Experimental validation using underwater image datasets indicated that the proposed network effectively enhances underwater image quality, effectively preserving image details and noise suppression across various underwater environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancements in New Concepts of Underwater Robotics)
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22 pages, 7960 KiB  
Article
Optimization of Trajectory Generation and Tracking Control Method for Autonomous Underwater Docking
by Tian Ni, Can Sima, Shaobin Li, Lindan Zhang, Haibo Wu and Jia Guo
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(8), 1349; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12081349 - 8 Aug 2024
Viewed by 476
Abstract
This study proposes a receding horizon optimization-based docking control method to address the autonomy and safety challenge of underwater docking between manned submersibles and unmanned vehicles, facilitating the integration of docking trajectory generation and tracking control. A novel approach for optimizing and generating [...] Read more.
This study proposes a receding horizon optimization-based docking control method to address the autonomy and safety challenge of underwater docking between manned submersibles and unmanned vehicles, facilitating the integration of docking trajectory generation and tracking control. A novel approach for optimizing and generating reference trajectory is proposed to construct a docking corridor that satisfies safe collision-free and visual guidance effective regions. It generates dynamically feasible and continuously smooth docking trajectories by rolling optimization. Subsequently, a docking trajectory tracking control method based on nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) is designed, which is specifically tailored to address thruster saturation and system state constraints while ensuring the feasibility and stability of the control system. The control performance and robustness of underwater docking were validated through simulation experiments. The optimized trajectory generated is continuous, smooth, and complies with the docking constraints. The control system demonstrates superior tracking accuracy than backstepping control, even under conditions where the model has a 40% error and bounded disturbances from currents are present. The research findings presented in this study contribute significantly to enhancing safety and efficiency in deep-sea development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancements in New Concepts of Underwater Robotics)
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21 pages, 11991 KiB  
Article
Numerical Simulation and Experimental Study of the Pneumo-Electric Hybrid-Driven Pipeline Inspection Robot in Low-Pressure Gas Pipeline
by Yuming Su, Lijian Yang, Hao Geng, Ping Huang, Fuyin Zheng, Wenxue Zheng and Pengfei Gao
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(8), 1345; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12081345 - 8 Aug 2024
Viewed by 520
Abstract
Intelligent pipeline inspection is necessary to operate submarine pipelines safely. At present, speed excursion and blockage are the challenges in the inspection of low-pressure gas pipelines. Accordingly, this study proposes a novel pneumo-electric hybrid-driven scheme to improve the traveling stability of inspection robots. [...] Read more.
Intelligent pipeline inspection is necessary to operate submarine pipelines safely. At present, speed excursion and blockage are the challenges in the inspection of low-pressure gas pipelines. Accordingly, this study proposes a novel pneumo-electric hybrid-driven scheme to improve the traveling stability of inspection robots. To adapt to different working conditions, building blocks and CFD numerical simulation methods are used to study the throttling pressure control flow field of the robot. The results proved that the flow clearance had the most evident effect. The flow clearance was reduced from 30 to 5 mm, and the differential pressure of the prototype increased from 0.3 to 17 kPa. The skeleton diameter has a small effect on the differential pressure. The differential pressure increases as the gas velocity increases. By analyzing the prototype in different positions, it was found that the differential pressure of the prototype while passing the elbow decreased by 45% at 45°, which quantified the fluid-driven force gap of the prototype while passing through the elbow. Finally, by comparing the speed of prototype with that of fluid-driven pig, it is demonstrated that a pneumo-electric hybrid-driven scheme is an effective solution to the problem of unstable inspection operation of low-pressure gas pipelines. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancements in New Concepts of Underwater Robotics)
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17 pages, 6557 KiB  
Article
A Novel Hill Climbing-Golden Section Search Maximum Energy Efficiency Tracking Method for Wireless Power Transfer Systems in Unmanned Underwater Vehicles
by Yayu Ma, Bo Liang, Jiale Wang, Bo Cheng, Zhengchao Yan, Moyan Dong and Zhaoyong Mao
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(8), 1336; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12081336 - 6 Aug 2024
Viewed by 719
Abstract
Efficiency has always been one of the most critical indicators for evaluating wireless power transfer (WPT) systems. To achieve fast maximum energy efficiency tracking (MEET), this paper provides an innovative control method utilizing the hill climbing-golden section search (HC-GSS) method of an LCC-S [...] Read more.
Efficiency has always been one of the most critical indicators for evaluating wireless power transfer (WPT) systems. To achieve fast maximum energy efficiency tracking (MEET), this paper provides an innovative control method utilizing the hill climbing-golden section search (HC-GSS) method of an LCC-S compensated WPT system. The receiver side includes a buck-boost converter that regulates the output current or voltage to meet output requirements. In the meantime, the buck-boost converter on the transmitter side is managed by the HC-GSS approach for MEET by minimizing the input power under the premise of output stability. Compared with the conventional P&O method, the HC-GSS method can eliminate the trade-off between the oscillation and convergence rate because it is designed for different system stages. In this WPT system, there is no need for direct communication between the transmitter and receiver. Therefore, the system is potentially cheaper to implement and does not suffer from annoying communication delays, which are prevalent in underwater environments for unmanned underwater vehicles’ (UUV) WPT systems. Both the simulation and experiment results show that this method can improve the efficiency of the WPT system without communication. The proposed method remains valid with coupler displacement as it does not include the mutual inductance of the system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancements in New Concepts of Underwater Robotics)
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26 pages, 7325 KiB  
Article
Formation Control of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles Using an Improved Nonlinear Backstepping Method
by Gang Shao, Lei Wan and Huixi Xu
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(6), 878; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12060878 - 25 May 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 758
Abstract
The characteristics of autonomous underwater vehicles include nonlinearity, strong coupling, multiple inputs and multiple outputs, uncertainty, strong disturbance, underdrive, and multiple constraints. Autonomous underwater vehicle cluster systems are associated with large-scale complex dynamic systems through local perception or network communication, which have the [...] Read more.
The characteristics of autonomous underwater vehicles include nonlinearity, strong coupling, multiple inputs and multiple outputs, uncertainty, strong disturbance, underdrive, and multiple constraints. Autonomous underwater vehicle cluster systems are associated with large-scale complex dynamic systems through local perception or network communication, which have the structural characteristics of “complex dynamic + association topology + interaction rules”. To solve the problem of formation trajectory tracking of underactuated autonomous underwater vehicles, a controller was designed on the basis of an improved nonlinear backstepping algorithm, cascade system theory, and the Lyapunov direct method. In this design, the formation is determined from the actual trajectory of the leader autonomous underwater vehicle. The formation control rate is determined using the backstepping method and Lyapunov theory. Nonlinear disturbance observers were added to ensure that the trajectory error of the formation control could be quickly reduced in a real case with interference. The stability and effectiveness of this method were verified through simulation experiments. The robustness of the control algorithm was verified using two simulation cases, and the simulation results show that the proposed control method can maintain the expected formation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancements in New Concepts of Underwater Robotics)
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26 pages, 7000 KiB  
Article
A Gaussian-Process-Based Model Predictive Control Approach for Trajectory Tracking and Obstacle Avoidance in Autonomous Underwater Vehicles
by Tao Liu, Jintao Zhao and Junhao Huang
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(4), 676; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12040676 - 18 Apr 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1257
Abstract
To achieve the efficient and precise control of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) in dynamic ocean environments, this paper proposes an innovative Gaussian-Process-based Model Predictive Control (GP-MPC) method. This method combines the advantages of Gaussian process regression in modeling uncertainties in nonlinear systems, and [...] Read more.
To achieve the efficient and precise control of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) in dynamic ocean environments, this paper proposes an innovative Gaussian-Process-based Model Predictive Control (GP-MPC) method. This method combines the advantages of Gaussian process regression in modeling uncertainties in nonlinear systems, and MPC’s constraint optimization and real-time control abilities. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed GP-MPC method, its performance is first evaluated for trajectory tracking control tasks through numerical simulations based on a 6-degrees-of-freedom, fully actuated, AUV dynamics model. Subsequently, for 3D scenarios involving static and dynamic obstacles, an AUV horizontal plane decoupled motion model is constructed to verify the method’s obstacle avoidance capability. Extensive simulation studies demonstrate that the proposed GP-MPC method can effectively manage the nonlinear motion constraints faced by AUVs, significantly enhancing their intelligent obstacle avoidance performance in complex dynamic environments. By effectively handling model uncertainties and satisfying motion constraints, the GP-MPC method provides an innovative and efficient solution for the design of AUV control systems, substantially improving the control performance of AUVs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancements in New Concepts of Underwater Robotics)
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19 pages, 10947 KiB  
Article
Underwater Power Conversion and Junction Technology for Underwater Wireless Power Transfer Stations
by Lei Yang, Xinze Chen, Yuanqi Zhang, Baoxiang Feng, Haibing Wen, Ting Yang, Xin Zhao, Jingjing Huang, Darui Zhu, Yaopeng Zhao, Aimin Zhang and Xiangqian Tong
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(4), 561; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12040561 - 27 Mar 2024
Viewed by 1201
Abstract
Underwater wireless power transfer (UWPT) systems are appropriate for battery charging of compact, submerged devices without a complicated and expensive sealing structure or human contact because the power source and load are not physically connected. For the shore-based power supply situation, the underwater [...] Read more.
Underwater wireless power transfer (UWPT) systems are appropriate for battery charging of compact, submerged devices without a complicated and expensive sealing structure or human contact because the power source and load are not physically connected. For the shore-based power supply situation, the underwater power conversion and junction technology should be required to drop down shore-based voltage to the target voltage for the underwater energy supply of the UWPT system. This paper proposes a lightweight, high efficiency and power density underwater power conversion connector system for the UWPT system, in which the LLC resonant converter is constructed with SiC transistors. The full load range zero-voltage switching (ZVS) and load adaptive characteristics have been achieved. The optimized RC level shift driver is adopted to highly reduce the switching loss of SiC transistors. Shore-based voltage of 1000 V was converted to the target voltage of 375 V for the UWPT system. The highest measured efficiency is over 98% at a load power level of 1500 W underwater conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancements in New Concepts of Underwater Robotics)
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22 pages, 8787 KiB  
Article
Leg Mechanism Design and Motion Performance Analysis for an Amphibious Crab-like Robot
by Shihao Hu, Xinmeng Ma, Xi Chen, Mingfei Xin, Changda Tian, Kaixin Liu, Sicen Li, Liquan Wang, Qinyun Tang, Zhaojin Liu, Mingxuan Ding and Jiawei Li
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(1), 10; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12010010 - 19 Dec 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1769
Abstract
Bionic-legged robots draw inspiration from animal locomotion methods and structures, demonstrating the potential to traverse irregular and unstructured environments. The ability of Portunus trituberculatus (Portunus) to run flexibly and quickly in amphibious environments inspires the design of systems and locomotion methods for amphibious [...] Read more.
Bionic-legged robots draw inspiration from animal locomotion methods and structures, demonstrating the potential to traverse irregular and unstructured environments. The ability of Portunus trituberculatus (Portunus) to run flexibly and quickly in amphibious environments inspires the design of systems and locomotion methods for amphibious robots. This research describes an amphibious crab-like robot based on Portunus and designs a parallel leg mechanism for the robot based on biological observations. The research creates the group and sequential gait commonly used in multiped robots combined with the form of the robot’s leg mechanism arrangement. This research designed the parallel leg mechanism and modeled its dynamics. Utilizing the outcomes of the dynamics modeling, we calculate the force and torque exerted on each joint of the leg mechanism during group gait and sequential gait when the robot is moving with a load. This analysis aims to assess the performance of the robot’s motion. Finally, a series of performance evaluation experiments are conducted on land and underwater, which show that the amphibious crab-like robot has good walking performance. The crab-like robot can perform forward, backward, left, and right walking well using group and sequential gaits. Simultaneously, the crab-like robot showcases faster movement in group gaits and a more substantial load capacity in sequential gaits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancements in New Concepts of Underwater Robotics)
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