Online passive localization for underwater swarm vehicles using a low-cost acoustic modem

We present an online underwater localization method that enables passive vehicles to localize themselves by overhearing two-way ranging (TWR) communication between an active vehicle and multiple acoustic anchors. Swarm simulations confirm the scalability of the system and show faster position updates, as well as improved accuracy compared to the active benchmark. A field experiment in a shallow water canal using the low-cost BlueROV2 underwater vehicle and ahoi modems has demonstrated the real-world applicability of the system, achieving an RMSE of approximately 0.82m.

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DDC Class

600: Technology