Positioning control of an underactuated surface vessel

This paper focuses on the positioning control of of a small size autonomous surface vessel (ASV) that can be used to carry a multitude of payload systems, including acoustic devices for underwater positioning and for communications with autonomous underwater vehicles. Its main motivation is the development of highly operational systems, by replacing typically moored support infrastructures with others that can dynamically position themselves. This work covers the design of feedback control laws that assure that the underactuated surface vessel Zarco can keep its position even in the presence of water currents and wind, and without special sensors to estimate such disturbances. Experimental results showing the performance of the designed control laws are also shown.