Multi-Point Traveling Sensing Strategy for a Symmetrical Shape Autonomous on Water Surface Robot

Abstract

In this study, we evaluate efficient traveling strategies for a water surface robot to cover multiple aquatic environment observation points. In the previous study, we have developed an autonomous water surface sensing robot called BIWAKO-X and evaluated efficient position-keeping strategies for long-term in-situ aquatic environment observation. In this paper, we focus on a multi-point traveling strategy that is designed for comprehensive environmental observation across multiple locations. Assuming a scenario in which the robot travels to several observation points, the travelling strategy was constructed with observation cycles and travelling site distances. In simulation and practical field experiments, traveling strategies applying different observation cycles and travelling site distances were evaluated in terms of energy consumption. Through both simulations and hands-on field experiments, we examined traveling strategies. The results reveal that varying the observation cycle and traveling site distance affect power consumption and spatio-temporal observation resolution.