GARBI: a low-cost underwater vehicle

Abstract

The progress on robotics, computer technology, sensors and perception systems has produced great advances in the field of underwater robotics, in the research and development of both autonomous ROVs and AUVs. Unfortunately, this progress has driven to the use of very expensive devices and, consequently, the development of high-cost underwater vehicles. As an alternative approach, the GARBI underwater robot has been designed as a low-cost ROV developed for underwater applications in shallow water environments. This paper describes the underwater vehicle and the endowed systems, the robot's goals and its main applications.