Digital-physical testbed for ship autonomy studies in the Marine Cybernetics Laboratory basin

TL;DR

This paper introduces a digital-physical testbed combining simulations and small-scale vessels in a laboratory basin to facilitate development and validation of algorithms for Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships, reducing costs and risks.

Contribution

The authors developed an in-house testbed integrating simulation, physical model vessels, and a digital twin to streamline the validation process for ship autonomy algorithms.

Findings

Effective in enabling ship guidance, navigation, and control (GNC)

Supports a full validation pipeline from simulation to full-scale testing

Demonstrates progress in developing a comprehensive maritime test environment

Abstract

The algorithms developed for Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) are often challenging to test on actual vessels due to high operational costs and safety considerations. Simulations offer a cost-effective alternative and eliminate risks, but they may not accurately represent real-world dynamics for the given tasks. Utilizing small-scale model ships and robotic vessels in conjunction with a laboratory basin provides an accessible testing environment for the early stages of validation processes. However, designing and developing a model vessel for a single test can be costly and cumbersome, and researchers often lack access to such infrastructure. To address these challenges and enable streamlined testing, we have developed an in-house testbed that facilitates the development, testing, verification, and validation of MASS algorithms in a digital-physical laboratory. This infrastructure includes a set of small-scale model vessels, a simulation environment for each vessel, a comprehensive testbed environment, and a digital twin in Unity. With this, we aim to establish a full design and verification pipeline that starts with high-fidelity simulation models of each model vessel, to the model-scale testing in the laboratory basin, allowing possibilities for moving towards semi-fullscale validation with R/V milliAmpere1 and full-scale validation with R/V Gunnerus. In this work, we present our progress on the development of this testbed environment and its components, demonstrating its effectiveness in enabling ship guidance, navigation, and control (GNC), including autonomy.