Task Planning and Collaboration of Jellyfish-inspired Multiple Spherical Underwater Robots

Task planning and collaboration of multiple robots have broad application prospects and value in the field of robotics.To improve the performance and working efficiency of our Spherical Underwater Robot(SUR),we propose a multi-robot control strategy that can realize the task planning and collaboration of multiple robots.To complete real-time information sharing of multiple robots,we first build an acoustic communication system with excellent communication performance under low noise ratio conditions.Then,the task planning and collaboration control strategy adjust the SURs so that they maintain their positions in the desired formation when the formation moves.Multiple SURs can move along desired trajectories in the expected formation.The control strategy of each SUR uses only its information and limited information of its neighboring SURs.Finally,based on theoretical analysis and experiments,we evaluate the validity and reliability of the proposed strategy.In comparison to the traditional leader–follower method,it is not necessary to designate a leader and its followers explicitly in our system;thus,important advantages,such as fault tolerance,are achieved.

Path Optimization Method for the Spherical Underwater Robot in Unknown Environment

One of the major respects of the autonomous capability of underwater robots in unknown environment is to be capable of global path planning and obstacles avoiding when encountering abrupt events.For the Spherical Underwater Robot(SUR)to fulfill autonomous task execution,this paper proposed a novel fuzzy control method that incorporates multi-sensor technology to guide underwater robots in unknown environment.To attain the objective,a SUR we designed is used to design the controller.According to its kinematic model,the safety distance was calculated and sensors(US1000-21 A)were arranged.The novel fuzzy control method was then explored for robot's path planning in an unknown environment through simulation.The simulation results demonstrate the capability of the proposed method to guide the robot,and to generate a safe and smooth trajectory in an unknown environment.The effectiveness of the proposed method was further verified through experiments with a SUR in a real platform.The real environment experiments by using the novel fuzzy control method were compared with the basic control method.The experimental results show that in unknown environments,the proposed method improves the execution efficiency and flexibility of the SUR.

Tracking Control in Presence of Obstacles and Uncertainties for Bioinspired Spherical Underwater Robots

During marine missions,AUVs are susceptible to external disturbances,such as obstacles,ocean currents,etc.,which can easily cause mission failure or disconnection.In this paper,considering the strong nonlinearities,external disturbances and obstacles,the kinematic and dynamic model of bioinspired Spherical Underwater Robot(SUR)was described.Subsequently,the waypoints-based trajectory tracking with obstacles and uncertainties was proposed for SUR to guarantee its safety and stability.Next,the Lyapunov theory was adopted to verify the stability and the Slide Mode Control(SMC)method is used to verify the robustness of the control system.In addition,a series of simulations were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of proposed control strategy.Some tests,including path-following,static and moving obstacle avoidance were performed which verified the feasibility,robustness and effectiveness of the designed control scheme.Finally,a series of experiments in real environment were performed to verify the performance of the control strategy.The simulation and experimental results of the study supplied clues to the improvement of the path following capability and multi-obstacle avoidance of AUVs.

A decoupling three-dimensional motion control algorithm for spherical underwater robot

Underwater spherical robots are good assistants for ocean exploration,where motion control algorithms play a vital role.Conventional motion control algorithms cannot eliminate the coupling relationship between various motion directions,which will cause the motion control of various directions to interfere with one other and significantly affect the control effect.This study proposes a new decoupling motion control algorithm based on the robot attitude calculation for an underwater spherical robot designed for offshore,shallow water,and narrow terrain.The proposed method uses four fuzzy proportional-integral-derivative(PID)controllers to independently control the robot’s movement in all directions.Experiments show that the motion control algorithm proposed in this study can significantly improve the flexibility and accuracy of the movement of underwater spherical robots.