Unmanned surface vessel (USV) systems for bridge inspection : final report.

Final reportPDFTech ReportFDOT Contract Number: BDV27-977-07BridgesField testsInspectionRoboticsSonarUnited StatesFloridaFlorida. Dept. of Transportation. Research CenterVon Ellenrieder, KarlWampler, JaredFlorida Atlantic University. Department of Ocean & Mechanical EngineeringFlorida. Dept. of Transportation. Research CenterHutchinson, EdUS Transportation CollectionThe use of unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) for bridge inspection has been explored. The following issues were considered: (1) the requirements of andcurrent techniques utilized in on-water bridge inspection; (2) USV design and configuration considerations for USV-based bridge inspection; (3) use ofacoustic sensing techniques for imaging underwater bridge structures and channel bottom features; (4) the control and dynamic positioning of USVs forbridge inspection; (5) the use of advanced robotics techniques for improving vehicle navigation under bridges and the mapping of bridge features; and lastly,(6) recommendations for the addition of standard operating procedures to accommodate the use of USVs for bridge inspection. A proof of concept systemwas developed and tested using an existing USV at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) outfitted with a real-time imagining sonar. Field experiments wereconducted with the system at several sites near the city of Carrabelle, Florida and in Dania Beach, Florida. Live demonstrations of the system were alsoconducted at the 2015 Florida Automated Vehicles Summit. The system was able to autonomously collect images of bridge structures, both underwater andat the waterline, by traversing a series of preprogrammed waypoints along a bridge and station-keeping at locations of interest. The results of the field testsand background literature survey are presented, and a set of recommendations for use of USV-based bridge inspection systems is given. It is suggested thatthe application of advanced robotics techniques for Human-Robot-Interaction and autonomous mapping/imaging can improve the preliminary inspectionapproach implemented during this study