Seafloor Cable Based Navigation and Monitoring with Autonomous Underwater Vehicles

Abstract

This study focuses on infrastructure monitoring relevant to offshore power cable inspection. Here we explore the use of an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) carrying a small magnetometer to localize and map underwater power cables. By surveying cables with the goal of cable localization, we can circumvent the difficulties associated with AUV based cable-following routines and provide a robust approach to cable localization and characterization that can inform subsequent along-cable navigation, ensuring survey reliability for commercial stakeholders.