Assisting Micro-ROV operators during surveys in fragile environments

Surveys and data gathering in delicate biological marine environments or in archaeological sites can significantly capitalize from the use of UUVs. In such situations, teleoperation becomes fundamental, as well as the possibility of using minimally invasive practices. During operations, the two ROVs' guidance systems are decoupled. The larger robot works in station keeping or path following, either automatically or under the supervision of an expert operator, while the smaller one is controlled by an operator not specifically trained for piloting ROVs. A supervised control system can be developed to guide the large ROy, while a human operator on the vessel pilots the micro-ROV. Using position information from the acoustic system, the automatic guidance implemented by the supervisory control system maintains the large ROV in a stationary position or guides it along a predetermined path. The architecture of the supervisory control system is organized on two levels.