Towards visual-acoustic pose control for net cage inspection: realistic simulation approach

Abstract

In recent years, fish farming has become a popular and sustain- able way to produce high-protein food while reducing emissions from livestock farming and helping to protect marine species. With the success of this industry, new ways to increase production and improve the safety of fish cages have been developed. Under- water robotics is a field that has made great progress, especially in inspecting and maintaining fish cages. In this area, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) are often used to monitor the nets, help- ing divers inspect and find potential problems. These ROVs are equipped with tools like cameras and artificial intelligence algo- rithms to detect defects in the nets. This article introduces a sys- tem that helps an underwater robot move along the fish cage net in a straight line. The system uses a camera, two acoustic sonars, and two line lasers to guide the robot’s navigation while perform- ing the net inspection.