Study on design and construction of unmanned surface vehicle (USV) as a marine survey vehicle

¹ Pangandaran Polytechnic of Marine and Fisheries, Indonesia
² Karawang Polytechnic of Marine and Fisheries, Indonesia

^* Corresponding author: baswantara@pkpp.ac.id

Abstract

Marine surveys may provide hydrooceanographic, hydrobiological, and spatial information. Surveys often face the problem of limited professional resources and inadequate equipment. Continuous technological development requires further development in this field. This is also the reason for future research on the development of unmanned surface vehicles (USV) to support marine survey activities, especially underwater topography. The studies were conducted starting with design and construction, USV vehicle performance tests, control and motion system performance tests, and sensor performance tests. The USV design uses a catamaran ship model, where the USV has two hulls and two propulsion. Construction tests were performed using the inclining test and rolling test methods. Control and motion system tests were performed using the free running test and turning ability methods. The sensor test was performed by field sounding test. The results showed that the USV functioned well. All the systems were integrated as planned. Acoustic and GPS sensors can also be used for underwater topographic surveys. The deficiencies identified were related to the durability of the propulsion system and GPS sensor system, which can be further optimized.