Design and testing of navigation algorithm for shallow water autonomous underwater vehicle

A remotely operated underwater vehicle, the Phantom S2, is being converted to an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) for shallow water and coastal environments. As a part of this project, a three-layered fuzzy logic controller was developed and combined with a path planning algorithm to navigate the vehicle in dynamic environments. Simulated experiments have been created in a virtual testbed to test the developed controller prior to, and during real pool tests. The testbed utilizes a virtual model of the Phantom S2, which imitates the dynamic behavior of the actual vehicle in various environmental conditions. The vehicle's motion and behavior can be observed, recorded and used to fine tune the control variables.