loading page

SUNFISH®: A Human-Portable Exploration AUV for Astrobiology Investigations in Complex 3D Environments
  • +2
  • Kristof Richmond,
  • Chris Flesher,
  • Neal Tanner,
  • William Stone,
  • Laura Lindzey
Kristof Richmond
Stone Aerospace

Corresponding Author:kristof.richmond@stoneaerospace.com

Author Profile
Chris Flesher
Stone Aerospace
Author Profile
Neal Tanner
Stone Aerospace
Author Profile
William Stone
Stone Aerospace inc.
Author Profile
Laura Lindzey
Stone Aerospace
Author Profile

Abstract

Stone Aerospace is developing the SUNFISH® autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) which addresses many of the challenges of remote, autonomous exploration in unstructured environments such as the Ocean Worlds of the outer Solar System. The descendant of larger AUVs developed at Stone Aerospace (e.g. the NASA-funded DEPTHX, ENDURANCE, and ARTEMIS vehicles), SUNFISH is miniaturized, person-portable, six-degree-of-freedom (6-DOF) hovering vehicle with built-in precision navigation and control, multibeam mapping, imaging, and CTD capabilities. It was designed to be a highly-capable platform for operating in a wide variety of complex 3D spaces, ranging from man-made (e.g. piers) to natural (e.g. reefs, caves, and under ice). Building on these base functionalities, we have developed high-level capabilities for performing simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), exploration, path planning, and precision return home and docking. We describe these capabilities, and present a demonstration in the unstructured labyrinthine 3D environment of Peacock Springs in Florida, USA. SUNFISH and its technologies have direct application in several astrobiology-relevant goals, including furthering exploration and life search strategies for Ocean Worlds, as well as enabling Earth-analog fieldwork in structurally complex, remote aqueous environments such as caves, under ice shelves, or in sub-glacial lakes.