Towards a Cyber-Physical System for Hydrobatic AUVs

Cyber-physical systems (CPSs) encompass a network of sensors and actuators that are monitored, controlled and integrated by a computing and communication core. As autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) become more intelligent and connected, new use cases in ocean production, security and environmental monitoring become feasible. Swarms of small, affordable and hydrobatic AUVs can be beneficial in substance cloud tracking and algae farming, and a CPS linking the AUVs with multi-fidelity simulations can improve performance while reducing risks and costs. In this paper, we present a CPS concept tightly linking the AUV network in ROS to virtual validation using Simulink and Gazebo. A robust hardware-software interface using the open-source UAVCAN-ROS bridge is described for enabling hardware-in-the-loop validation. Hardware features of the hydrobatic SAM AUV are described, with a focus on subsystem integration. Results presented include pre-tuning of controllers, validation of mission plans in simulation and real time subsystem performance in tank tests. These first results demonstrate the interconnection between different system elements and offer a proof of concept.