A project led by Dr. Md Jahidul Islam titled “Underwater Robot Navigation and Localization During Recovery by Optical Homing and Penning” received $600K in funding by the NSF Foundational Research in Robotics (FRR) program. Along with collaborators Dr. Sanjeev Koppal (ECE) and Dr. Jane Shin (MAE), this project will solve the foundational problem of underwater robot localization by introducing a new optics-based sensing and localization framework.

More information on the project can be found on the RoboPI Lab Research page.

Abstract:

This project will advocate a novel solution to the foundational problem of underwater robot localization and navigation by introducing the notion of optical homing and penning. This new optics-based framework will be deployable from specialized buoys acting as floating lighthouses. An intelligent visual SLAM system will also be developed for robust state estimation in deep waters when no lighthouse beacons are visible. For feasibility analysis and assessment, this project will formalize real-world deployment strategies on two UUV platforms through comprehensive ocean trials in the northern Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.