Design, control, and implementation of a new AUV platform with a mass shifter mechanism

This paper presents a design, control, and implementation of a new autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) platform, which is designed as a torpedo shape with small and light enough to be handled easily by one person. Through a unique ducted propeller and rudder located at the aft, the AUV can perform horizontal motion. It can also control pitch angle and depth motion by an inside mass shifter mechanism (MSM) which changes the vehicle center of gravity. Hardware and software architectures of the control system are addressed and the functions of all parts are clarified. With a developed navigation algorithm, strategies for waypoint guidance, steering and diving controls are suggested. After that, a series of experiment results compared with the simulation outputs are presented.