Design of an AUV Research Platform for Demonstration of Novel Technologies

Abstract

Maribot LoLo is an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) developed at the KTH Centre for Naval Architecture as part of the Swedish Maritime Robotics Centre (SMaRC). The center's cross-disciplinary activities require an AUV research platform that can be used for data collection and to test and demonstrate novel technologies. The challenge herein is to create a well-performing and yet versatile vehicle. This paper introduces Maribot LoLo and presents the underlying design philosophy which focuses on versatility and endurance. A free-flooded hull offers modularity and modifiability while reliability and robustness are achieved through hardware redundancy and a hierarchical captain-scientist relationship in the embedded system. The vehicle is designed to be operated at moderate water depths and on long-range missions. This leads to challenges in the design of the variable buoyancy system (VBS) which also is presented. The achievable range of the AUV is evaluated with a simple hydrodynamics model based on frictional drag.