Mauve


Mauve is an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) used in the  project SUMARE. It results of a modification of a pre-programmed vehicle jointly developed by CNIM (Toulon, France) and Thomson Marconi Sonar (Sophia Antiopolis, France) for the French Navy. The present prototype has been developed in the European project MAUVE, and is presently operated by I3S and TMS in the framework of an on-going cooperation with CNIM in the domain of control and navigation of underwater platforms.

General Characteristics

Mauve is a completely autonomous platform (no umbilical)  which has been designed for operation in coastal waters. The small size and weight of the platform allows simple operation by one person, from shore or from a small boat., making it specialy attractive for repetitive operations.

The mission is entered by the operator using a Man-Machine interface as a sequence of basic goals (go to a specified point or list of points, survey a given 2D or 3D region enforcing a given spacial sampling, follow contour levels of a given sensor output,...). The interface translates the user requirements into a completely specified robotic mission, which can be simulated prior to launching, to let the user access the expected operating conditions. Tools for statistical performance analysis developed in the project MAUVE are also currently being integrated to the interface, to provide to the user information concerning several indicators :expected (positioning) error levels, required energy, level of risk, etc.

For positioning in a global world frame Mauve uses two acoustic transponders, whose location is callibrated at the begining of the mission. The following images show the buoys (left) supporting the two acoustic emitters/receivers (right) during an experiment at sea.

The vehicle is equipped with a rather general set of sensors

Depth rate : vehicle 300  meters
Buoyancy : positive (floats if no control is applied)
Size : (190 x 15 ) cms (length x diameter)
Weight : 35 Kgs (in air)
Speed : 2-12 knots
 
 


Partners of project Mauve



If you have comments or suggestions, email me at rendas@i3s.unice.fr

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