American engineers have developed a new program that gives underwater robots more cognitive capabilities and will allow them to perform high-level activities.
The engineers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology previously tested the autonomous mission-planning system, several classes of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and their ability to work cooperatively to map the ocean environment during a research cruise off the western coast of Australia.
The researchers tested their new innovative system on an autonomous underwater glider, and demonstrated that the robot was able to operate safely among a number of other autonomous vehicles, while receiving higher-level commands.
Brian Williams, principal developer of the mission-planning system said that with the help of their new program autonomous vehicles could plan their own missions, and execute, adapt, and re-plan them alone, without human support.
Williams added that by giving robots control of higher-level decision-making, engineers would be free to think about overall strategy, while autonomous vehicles determine for themselves a specific mission plan.
