Aucamp: An Underwater Camera-Based Multi-Robot Platform with Low-Cost, Distributed, and Robust Localization

TL;DR

This paper presents Aucamp, an underwater multi-robot platform utilizing low-cost monocular cameras, a distributed localization protocol, and robust orientation control to achieve accurate, stable, and scalable underwater positioning for marine exploration.

Contribution

The paper introduces a novel underwater multi-robot platform with a cost-effective monocular sensing system, a distributed localization algorithm, and a robust orientation control framework, enhancing accuracy and stability.

Findings

Achieved global positioning with improved accuracy and robustness.

Demonstrated stable and swift recovery from unstable states.

Validated performance through extensive experiments and scenarios.

Abstract

This paper introduces an underwater multi-robot platform, named Aucamp, characterized by cost-effective monocular-camera-based sensing, distributed protocol and robust orientation control for localization. We utilize the clarity feature to measure the distance, present the monocular imaging model, and estimate the position of the target object. We achieve global positioning in our platform by designing a distributed update protocol. The distributed algorithm enables the perception process to simultaneously cover a broader range, and greatly improves the accuracy and robustness of the positioning. Moreover, the explicit dynamics model of the robot in our platform is obtained, based on which, we propose a robust orientation control framework. The control system ensures that the platform maintains a balanced posture for each robot, thereby ensuring the stability of the localization system. The platform can swiftly recover from an forced unstable state to a stable horizontal posture. Additionally, we conduct extensive experiments and application scenarios to evaluate the performance of our platform. The proposed new platform may provide support for extensive marine exploration by underwater sensor networks.