Design and Development of H-AUV for Shallow Water Applications

This paper proposes a low-cost, modular micro-AUV for navigation, guidance, and control in shallow water applications. The H-configuration-based AUV is designed for easy swappability of components. Dynamic parameters and drag force are derived to analyze performance before deployment. Hydrostatic parameters are estimated from CAD models to understand maneuvering stability. Key tests, such as wet, buoyancy, heave, and surge motion, validate vehicle performance. The H-AUV is tested for 4.5m depth in heave direction and 2m in surge direction. The H-AUV with the acuostic modem is a sub-5000$ rugged vehicle that would be beneficial for shallow water inspections, surveillance, and other applications. In challenging underwater environments, the H-AUV can return to its original position using two vertical thrusters. This sub-5000$ rugged vehicle is highly beneficial for shallow water inspections, surveillance, and other applications.