Contents I. Introduction
In recent years, autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) have demonstrated their capabilities in many important applications in fields such as oceanographic research, offshore oil and gas industry, and military operations. However, their use is mostly limited to tasks related to the collection of sensor data and the generation of detailed maps of the seafloor. Some recent developments indicate a growing interest in expanding the AUVs capabilities with intervention skills [1]–[3]. The so-called intervention AUV, or I-AUV, is the result of incorporating one or more manipulators to the submersible with the objective of performing autonomous intervention tasks such as the collection of samples, maintenance works or salvage operations to name but a few. The main advantage of I-AUVs, as an alternative to the current remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), would be their lower operational cost, since they will not require the deployment from expensive oceanographic vessels with a heavy crane, automatic tether management system, and a dynamic position system.
