AUV-based Quay Wall Inspection Using a Scanning Sonar-based Wall Following Algorithm

Quay wall inspection plays an important role for the safety in harbors and ports. Today it mainly has to be done manually by divers which is time-consuming and only takes place on a random basis. Imaging sensors can be used to help determine the wall condition and assess any damage more accurately. Therefore, a strategy for autonomous quay wall inspection using cooperating Monsun AUVs developed by the University of Lübeck is proposed. A core component is a new real-time scanning sonar-based wall following algorithm that demonstrates high accuracy and robustness in experiments on a typical quay wall.