AL– a Prototype Autonomous Ship Model for Navigating in Ice Conditions

Autonomous maritime vessels are being rapidly introduced into the maritime. Among their myriad enticing applications, their potential to operate effectively in the challenging Arctic and ice-covered waters stands out. However, prior to embarking on large-scale testing of autonomous technologies, it is imperative to examine them utilizing scaled-down models. This paper introduces a self-sustained Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) named "AL," from “Autonominen Laiva” standing for autonomous ship in Finnish, meticulously engineered for the explicit purpose of ice-covered water navigation.

The development of the AL hull commenced with the utilization of Computer-Aided Design and Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAD-CAM) tools, using an existing icebreaking hull as a prototype. The hull manufacturing process employed 3D printing, executed in a modular fashion. Subsequently, the 3D-printed components were assembled and glued together, followed by a hull painting process before the azimuth installation. A watertightness examination was conducted to ensure the vessel's integrity. Following that AL was then equipped with state-of-the-art electronics, an array of sensors, and positioning algorithms in a ROS (Robotic Operation System) 2 environment.

Through a series of systematic model tests, critical ship hull parameters were identified, permitting the establishment of basic control processes. These control settings were instrumental in the development of a robust navigation and control system for AL. The outcome of these endeavors is a ship model capable of autonomously following a predefined trajectory, as defined by a sequence of waypoints, while also maintaining the desired speed within ice channels. This comprehensive study serves as the cornerstone for future research pursuits in the domain of autonomous navigation within ice-covered environments.