VR Teleoperation to support a GPS-free Positioning System in a Marine Environment

ABSTRACT: Small autonomous surface vehicles (ASV) will need both teleoperation support and redundant positioning technology to comply with expected future regulations. When at sea, they are limited by a satellite communication link with low throughput. We have designed and implemented a graphical user interface (GUI) for teleoperation using a communication link with low throughput, and one positioning system, independent of the Global Positioning System (GPS), supported by the teleoperation tool. We conducted a user study (N=16), using real-world data from a field trial, to validate our approach, and to compare two variants of the graphical user interface (GUI). The users experienced that the tool gives a good overview, and despite the connection with the low throughput, they managed through the GUI to significantly improve the positioning accuracy.

KEYWORDS: Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), Global Positioning System (GPS), Alternative Navigation Systems, Graphical User Interface (GUI), Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV), Terrain-Aided Navigation (TAN), VR Teleoperation, Autonomous Surface Vehicle (ASV)

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Citation note:

Lager M., Topp E.A., Malec J.: VR Teleoperation to support a GPS-free Positioning System in a Marine Environment. TransNav, the International Journal on Marine Navigation and Safety of Sea Transportation, Vol. 14, No. 4, doi:10.12716/1001.14.04.01, pp. 789-798, 2020

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