Development of a Low Cost Unmanned Surface Vessel for Autonomous Navigation in Shallow Water

Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs) are commonly autonomous or remotely controlled, serving diverse maritime purposes such as oceanographic research, surveillance, environmental monitoring, and maritime security. These vessels exhibit variability in size, shape, and functionality, ranging from nimble crafts to specialized, larger platforms. This paper introduces the development and validation of a low-cost, agile USV tailored for autonomous navigation in shallow waters. In shallow water, the foremost challenge for USVs is maneuverability, underscoring the crucial need for cost-effective platforms as efficient monitoring systems for maritime applications. The 3D-printed twin-hull catamaran-style platform is equipped with an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and a Global Positioning System (GPS) utilizing a Raspberry Pi 4 for high-level control and Arduino MEGA for low-level control. The hovercraft-style propulsion system is designed with a differential drive configuration powered by two DC motors. The design utilizes the Robot Operating System (ROS) to develop the control framework and incorporates Extended Kalman Filter (EKF)-based sensor fusion techniques. The paper evaluates the USV's autonomy through path-following experiments, employing both remote and autonomous control methods to assess the vessel's maneuverability and overall performance characteristics in shallow water conditions.