REX 2014-Robotic Exercises 2014 Multi-robot field trials

Abstract

Today there are different teams specializing in different areas such as shipwrecked rescue, searching for mines, environmental monitoring, border surveillance, traffic control, search and rescue and harbor protecting. Robotic systems and unmanned vehicles can provide additional capabilities and new innovative solutions that contribute to these applications. This paper presents the Robotic Exercises 2014 (REX'14) and the lessons learned with various field experiments performed with multiple unnamed systems in the context of the Portuguese Navy concept of operations. During the REX'2014 multiple experiments and systems were operated. Autonomy and environment characterization and assessment missions were performed with autonomous surface vehicles such as the ROAZ autonomous surface vehicle or with autonomous underwater vehicle MARES. Autonomy and system validation was performed for fast water jet propelled surface systems such as the SWIFT autonomous surface vehicle and the ICARUS unmanned rescue capsule, wind propulsion tests were also performed with unnamed surface vehicles and new maritime wireless communication protocols were tested.