Field operation of a robotic small waterplane area twin hull boat for shallow‐water bathymetric characterization

An innovative robotic boat has been developed for performing bathymetric mapping of very shallow coastal, estuarine, and inland waters. The boat uses a small waterplane area twin hull design to provide natural platform stability for a multibeam sonar payload, and a navigation system automatically guides the boat in a “lawn-mowing” pattern to map a region of interest. Developed in stages over five years as part of a low-cost student design program, the boat is now operational and is being used to generate science-quality maps for scientific and civil use; it is also being used as a testbed for evaluating the platform for other types of scientific missions and for demonstrating advanced control techniques. This paper reviews the student-based development process, describes the design of the boat, presents results from field operations, and reviews plans for future extensions to the system. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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