Design and Control of the “TransBoat”: A Transformable Unmanned Surface Vehicle for Overwater Construction

This article presents the TransBoat, a novel omnidirectional unmanned surface vehicle (USV) with a magnet-based docking system for overwater construction with wave disturbances. This is the first such USV that can build overwater structures by transporting modules. The TransBoat incorporates two features designed to reject wave disturbances. First, the TransBoat's expandable body structure can actively transform from a mono-hull into a multihull for stabilization in turbulent environments by extending its four outrigger hulls. Second, a real-time nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) scheme is proposed for all shapes of the TransBoat to enhance its maneuverability and resist disturbance to its movement, based on a nonlinear dynamic model. An experimental approach is proposed to identify the parameters of the dynamic model, and a subsequent trajectory tracking test validates the dynamics, NMPC controller, and system mobility. Further, docking experiments identify improved performance in the expanded form of the TransBoat compared with the contracted form, including an increased success rate (of
${\sim } 10\%$
) and reduced docking time (of
${\sim } 40$
s on average). Finally, a bridge construction test verifies our system design and the NMPC control method.