Three-dimensional coverage planning for an underwater inspection robot

To support autonomous, in-water inspection of a ship hull, we propose and implement new techniques for coverage path planning over complex 3D structures. Our main contribution is a comprehensive methodology for sampling-based design of inspection routes, including an algorithm for planning, an algorithm for smoothing, and an analysis of probabilistic completeness. The latter two outcomes are the first of their kind in the area of coverage planning. Our algorithms give high-quality solutions over expansive structures, and we demonstrate this with experiments in the laboratory and on a 75 m Coast Guard cutter.

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