Fiscal Year	2023
Division	Research & Sponsored Programs
Department	Naval Research Program
Investigator(s)	Kragelund, Sean P. Kaminer, Isaac I.
Sponsor	NPS Naval Research Program (Navy)
Summary	For AUV teams conducting clandestine mine countermeasures (MCM) in a contested environment, intermittent range-limited communications may be the only available coordination mechanism. This study will investigate distributed, time critical, cooperative path following (TCCPF) algorithms suitable for cluttered, uncertain, GPS-denied littoral environments. Suitable algorithms must address the following challenges: 1) relative navigation errors will be significant when far from known landmarks, but improve as the AUVs approach them; 2) due to range-limited communications, AUVs must cooperatively plan for timely rendezvous at suitable locations to exchange data needed to reduce uncertainty in their state and world models; 3) planning must be able to rapidly assimilate updates to the MCM map, while accounting for the map's inherent uncertainty; and 4) algorithms must be distributed for increased robustness in the presence of intermittent communications. To meet these challenges, we propose a two-step approach: In the path planning step, each distributed AUV generates a path to achieve its search objectives, avoid obstacles and visit pre-assigned rendezvous points, given its own navigation uncertainty. In the path execution step, when the distance between AUVs is sufficiently small to exchange vehicle, map, and MCM state information, the AUVs will coordinate by adjusting their velocities to execute the path generated in the first step. For cases when velocity adjustments are not sufficient for deconfliction, individual AUV trajectories will be locally modified to include a feasible path excursions. This study will simulate and analyze possible TCCPF approaches for clandestine MCM, document promising algorithmic features, and make recommendations for future technology investment.
Keywords	cooperative path planning, autonomous underwater vehicles, mine countermeasures, MCM, AUV
Publications	Publications, theses (not shown) and data repositories will be added to the portal record when information is available in FAIRS and brought back to the portal
Data	Publications, theses (not shown) and data repositories will be added to the portal record when information is available in FAIRS and brought back to the portal