# OMPB: An Omnidirectional-Mobile Paddle Boat Designed for Narrow Water Areas

## TL;DR

A new paddle boat design allows for omnidirectional movement in narrow water areas, with good navigation accuracy and potential for tasks like garbage collection.

## Contribution

The OMPB introduces a novel paddle-based mobility system with fuzzy control for precise autonomous navigation in confined aquatic environments.

## Key findings

- The OMPB achieves zero turning radius and shallow draft suitable for narrow waterways.
- The fuzzy controller enables accurate trajectory tracking with less than 40 mm position error and 1.8° heading error.
- The design can be adapted for practical applications like garbage collection and fish feeding.

## Abstract

This paper presents the design of an omnidirectional-mobile paddle boat (OMPB) used in narrow rivers, ponds, and canals. Compared with common propeller boats, the OMPB has advantages such as zero turning radius and shallow draft. Firstly, a prototype is built in which there are four paddles connected with four DC motors, allowing the boat to move like an omnidirectional Mecanum-wheeled vehicle. Subsequently, to develop the OMPB’s autonomous navigation algorithms, a kinematic model is established and dynamic analysis is performed. To improve the ability of resisting disturbances and control precision, a control algorithm based on fuzzy controller is designed for trajectory tracking. Experimental validations cover trajectory tracking performance during both straight-line navigation and turning maneuvers. The results demonstrate that the OMPB is competent to carry out omnidirectional movement, and the actual navigation trajectory is highly consistent with the theoretical trajectory, with a tracking error within 40 mm and a heading angle error within 1.8°. The OMPB platform can be reformed into special-purpose vessels for floating garbage collection and fish feeding in narrow water areas.