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Survey on Communication and Networks for Autonomous Marine Systems

Abstract

The rapid development of autonomous systems and Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) create new opportunities for maritime activities. Existing autonomous systems are becoming more powerful and utilise the capabilities of several types of devices such as Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) sometimes referred as Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASVs) Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), moored and drifting systems and, recently emerging, autonomous vessels. Their importance in providing new services in maritime environments is undeniable and the opportunity for coordinated and interconnected operations is clear. However, continuous wide integration of various technologies in maritime environments still faces many challenges. Operations may take place in remote locations, so that dependence on third-party infrastructures such as satellite communication or terrestrial communication systems must be expected. The reliability, performance, availability, and cost of such systems are important issues that need to be tackled. This work reviews the major advancements on state-of-the-art autonomous maritime vehicles and systems, which are used in several different scenarios, from scientific Research to transportation. Moreover, the paper highlights how available technologies can be composed in order to efficiently and effectively operate in maritime environments.
Highlights of the trade-off between autonomy and communication requirements are provided and followed by an overview of promising communication and networking technologies that could encourage the integration of autonomous systems in maritime scenarios.

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Category

Academic article

Language

English

Author(s)

  • Artur Piotr Zolich
  • David Palma
  • Kimmo Kansanen
  • Kay Endre Fjørtoft
  • João Sousa
  • Karl Henrik Johansson
  • Yuming Jiang
  • Hefeng Dong
  • Tor Arne Johansen

Affiliation

  • SINTEF Ocean / Energi og transport
  • Royal Institute of Technology
  • University of Porto
  • Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Year

2018

Published in

Journal of Intelligent & Robotic Systems

ISSN

0921-0296

Page(s)

1 - 25

View this publication at Norwegian Research Information Repository