ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION IN THE MARITIME INDUSTRIES

This publication was prepared by three recognized experts in this field with the main of the declared objectives to disseminate the accumulated technical knowledge together with the applications of the Spanish working groups dealing with the scientific technical researches in the relevant fields of maritime robotics/automation. There are some serious discerning between control and guidance, when applied to the marine vehicles.

The term "guidance" usually corresponds to the determination of the factors as the attitude, course and speed of the marine vehicle, relative to the established reference frame, e.g. earth, that is to be followed by the above mentioned vehicle. The term "control" would rather be corresponding to the development plus the application to marine vehicles of the various forces/moments for operating point controls, stabilization/tracking, and this all would definitely involve the feedback/feedforward control laws.

This volume contains fourteen chapters covering all control problems in marine vehicles, interactive software tools, long disturbances compensation techniques, reactive control of a visually guided UCT (standing for the underwater cable tracker), underwater climbing robots and impact systems that are commonly utilized for ship hull cleaning, simulation of the sea trials and many other important, innovative and very interesting topics...