Underwater Surveying via Bearing only Cooperative Localization

TL;DR

This paper extends bearing-only cooperative localization to underwater environments, integrating inertial, magnetic, and depth sensors to enhance robustness for applications like cave mapping and marine archaeology, validated through diverse experiments.

Contribution

It introduces an adaptation of bearing-only localization techniques for underwater use, addressing visibility challenges and sensor integration for improved accuracy.

Findings

Robust localization achieved in low visibility underwater environments.

Effective sensor fusion improves estimation accuracy.

Validated across diverse underwater settings including lakes, caves, and reefs.

Abstract

Bearing only cooperative localization has been used successfully on aerial and ground vehicles. In this paper we present an extension of the approach to the underwater domain. The focus is on adapting the technique to handle the challenging visibility conditions underwater. Furthermore, data from inertial, magnetic, and depth sensors are utilized to improve the robustness of the estimation. In addition to robotic applications, the presented technique can be used for cave mapping and for marine archeology surveying, both by human divers. Experimental results from different environments, including a fresh water, low visibility, lake in South Carolina; a cavern in Florida; and coral reefs in Barbados during the day and during the night, validate the robustness and the accuracy of the proposed approach.