Wave-motion compensation for USV–UAV cooperation: A model predictive controller approach

Due to the difficult access to the maritime environment, cooperation between different robotic platforms operating in different domains provides numerous advantages when considering Operations and Maintenance (O&M) missions. The nest Uncrewed Surface Vehicle (USV) is equipped with a parallel platform, serving as a landing pad for Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) landings in dynamic sea states. This work proposes a methodology for short term forecasting of wave-behaviour using Fast Fourier Transforms (FFT) and a low-pass Butterworth filter to filter out noise readings from the Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and applying an Auto-Regressive (AR) model for the forecast, showing good results within an almost 10-second window. These predictions are then used in a Model Predictive Control (MPC) approach to optimize trajectory planning of the landing pad roll and pitch, in order to increase horizontality, consistently mitigating around 80% of the wave induced motion.