Landing Platform for Autonomous Inspection Missions in Mariculture Using an ASV and a UAV

Cooperation of a lightweight autonomous aerial vehicle (LAAR) and an autonomous surface vehicle (ASV) in prolonged robotic inspections missions in mariculture requires a landing platform (LP) with a docking system mounted onto the ASV. The autonomous surface and aerial vehicles developed in the scope of HEKTOR (Heterogeneous Autonomous Robotic System in Viticulture and Mariculture) project are presented herein. Furthermore, mechanical and electrical design of the LP, the control scheme and communication protocol of the LP with the ASV, and LP-ROS interface for future high-level mission control are described. The ASV autonomy test results show that it can work for 10 — 11h. Laboratory and field trials of the LP show that the chosen concept works in various settings.