Real Time Control, Telemetry and Image Streaming from and to Autonomous Underwater Vehicles

The domain of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) has seen considerable advancements in recent years, with developments encompassing a wide range of applications in military, civil, and research sectors. Unlike Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicles (ROUVs), AUVs are specifically designed for extended missions with complete autonomy. However, this approach often lacks real-time feedback during the execution of the mission. Moreover, intervening or updating an ongoing mission becomes a challenge unless the AUV resurfaces, as the primary control relies on RF communication, with acoustic communication predominantly used for underwater tracking. This paper introduces an innovative approach to AUV control and operation, leveraging the BROADLINK underwater acoustic high-rate modem developed by RAFAEL. This modem, capable of supporting several communication methods unique to the under-water environment, facilitates high-rate telemetry delivery, some control capabilities from a remote operator located up to several kilometers from the AUV, and real-time image transmissions based on the JPEG2000 standard that has been found to be more appropriate for the acoustic channel. For sea experiments, the modem was integrated into two AUVs: The Hydrocamel AUV developed by Ben-Gurion University and the IVER3 AUV from L3-Harris. Our experiments, conducted in nearshore shallow-water in both the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, demonstrate successful implementation and performance of AUV control over horizontal ranges of several kilometers, while simultaneously delivering images taken by the AUV's camera to the operator acoustically.