Enhancing NIUSTs SeaBED Class AUV, Mola Mola

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

12-1-2010

Department

Marine Science

School

Ocean Science and Engineering

Abstract

Mola is a seafloor mapping AUV owned and operated by the National Institute for Undersea Science and Technology (NIUST). Since its initial sea trials in May of 2009, effort has been applied to enhancing the navigation and imaging systems for high-resolution surveys of specific targets in depths up to 2000 meters. These surveys require accurate positioning during the initial dive to the seafloor, and smooth navigation once the survey begins. To work toward this goal, an inertial navigation system with position and velocity aiding has been integrated with the vehicle software, and it is currently being field tested. The imaging system has also been modified by adding LED arrays to provide more consistent lighting and by merging navigation data with the images for georeferencing. The above system enhancements have forced changes in the vehicle's layout, and operational experiences have led to improvements in the vehicle's mechanical systems. © 2010 IEEE.

Publication Title

2010 IEEE/OES Autonomous Underwater Vehicles, AUV 2010

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