Abstract

Abstract
Underwater sensing and mapping operations using autonomous vehicles are becoming widely used. This article describes an automated system to launch and recover an AUV. It can operate in any host platform and can transport any torpedo-shaped vehicle with 0.2 meters of diameter, length up to 3 meters and weight up to 1000 N. The system ensures a restrained transportation of the vehicle and guarantees that it performs a smooth entrance in the water. It was instrumented for continuous status remote monitoring, using linear and angular motion sensors, as well as enables to remotely take control over the operation. Experimental results carried out within the XPRIZE competition demonstration scope are presented.

Abstract
NaSSIE - Navigation and Sensoring Skills in Engineering is a platform developed with the intent of facilitating the acquisition of some skills by Engineering Students, which is a core part of the process of controlling a mobile robot. In this paper, the chosen hardware and consequent physical construction of the prototype as well as vehicle’s associated software will be presented. As a use case, this platform was tested during the Robotic Day 2017 in Czech Republic. Preliminary results will also be presented of this year’s preparation for the Micromouse competition. © 2019, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Abstract
This paper presents an overview of a generalized 6 degrees of freedom model for surface vessels and explains how it can be extended for twin hull surface vehicles. The extended model takes into account the hull characteristics (dimensions and location), which are important to improve the accuracy of simulations and the performance of controllers. The method involves the calculation of the submerged volume of each hull, location of each hull's center of buoyancy and restoring forces/ torques due to buoyancy contributions. To evaluate the proposed model, some simulations were performed, using an example of allocation of propulsion system and realistic hydrodynamic coefficients (added mass and damping) and inertial tensors.

Abstract
This paper describes the PISCES system, an integrated approach for fully autonomous mapping of large areas of the ocean in deep waters. A deep water AUV will use an acoustic navigation system to compute is position with bounded error. The range limitation will be overcome by a moving baseline scheme, with the acoustic sources installed in robotic surface vessels with previously combined trajectories. In order to save power, all systems will have synchronized clocks and implement the One Way Travel Time scheme. The mapping system will be a combination of an off-the-shelf MBES with a new long range bathymetry system, with a source on a moving surface vessel and the receivers on board the AUV. The system is being prepared to participate in round one of the XPRIZE challenge.

Abstract
In this paper it is presented a line follower educational mobile robot performance robustness increase. The Robotic Day line Follower Competition was used as a Benchmark to test the proposed approach. The applied robot is based on an Arduino, which is applied in the low level control, while the high level control loop is carried out by an RPI running an object pascal application. The described robot was prototyped in order to have a competitive participation in the Robotic Day Line Follower 2017 competition, and improved for performance robustness increase in order to participate in the 2018 competition. It was prototyped with an RPI, taking advantage of its capabilities, allowing the use of higher performance sensors, when compared with the most common standard approaches based on a single 8 bit RISC micro-controller, having as disadvantage the inevitable robot size increase, which compromises in certain situations the robot maneuverability and increases the power consumption. The robot is equipped with DC Motors, the chosen line follower sensor is the picamera and for the obstacle detection, a time of flight sensor was applied.