Underwater Human-Robot and Human-Swarm Interaction: A Review and Perspective

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent advances in underwater human-robot interaction and gesture recognition, emphasizing their potential to improve diver-robot collaboration and multi-robot systems in complex aquatic environments.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of current UHRI and UGR developments and discusses future perspectives for underwater multi-robot systems integration.

Findings

Advances in underwater gesture recognition enable better diver-robot communication.

Integration of UHRI can enhance the robustness of underwater multi-robot systems.

State-of-the-art review encourages future research in underwater human-robot collaboration.

Abstract

There has been a growing interest in extending the capabilities of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) in subsea missions, particularly in integrating underwater human-robot interaction (UHRI) for control. UHRI and its subfield,underwater gesture recognition (UGR), play a significant role in enhancing diver-robot communication for marine research. This review explores the latest developments in UHRI and examines its promising applications for multi-robot systems. With the developments in UGR, opportunities are presented for underwater robots to work alongside human divers to increase their functionality. Human gestures creates a seamless and safe collaborative environment where divers and robots can interact more efficiently. By highlighting the state-of-the-art in this field, we can potentially encourage advancements in underwater multi-robot system (UMRS) blending the natural communication channels of human-robot interaction with the multi-faceted coordination capabilities of underwater swarms,thus enhancing robustness in complex aquatic environments.