10. Concluding Remarks

Abstract

The underwater environment is hostile, the communication is difficult and external disturbances can strongly affect the dynamics of the system involved in the mission. Moreover, the sensing devices are not fully reliable in the underwater environment. This is particularly true for the positioning sensors. The vehicle actuating systems, usually composed of thrusters, is highly nonlinear and subject to limit cycles. Some very simple operations for a ground robotic system, such as to hold its position can become difficult for UVMSs. This difficulty dramatically increases for complex missions.