Path plan strategy of an underwater robot to approach a moving emitter while maximising sound intensity measurements

Abstract

This study handles a situation in which an underwater robot approaches a moving emitter while measuring the sound made by the emitter. Since radio waves are easily dissipated in underwater environments, sound is the main energy transferred from the emitter to the underwater robot. In order to chase the emitter while measuring the emitter's sound, it is desirable that the robot can measure the sound energy made by the emitter as much as possible. In this study, the robot's path is designed to maximise the emitter's sound measured by the robot as well as to minimise the time spent until encountering the emitter. The effectiveness of the proposed path plan approach is demonstrated utilising extensive simulations.