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www.sea-technology.com May 2016 / st 41 I SME is the Interuniversity Research Center on Integrated Systems for the Marine Environment and encompasses six major Italian universities (Genova, Pisa, Firenze, Cassi- no, Salento, and Marche) working on marine robotics and ocean engineering. This makes ISME a leading institution on marine research in Italy and among one of the largest in Europe. Despite the major focus on innovative research, ISME is also active in technological transfer and the engineering side of maritime robotics. For this reason, ISME and DESA Engi- neering have established a joint project on the development and realization of two new, modular unmanned surface ve- hicles (USVs), based on the specifcations given by the Cen- ter of Coastal Marine Environment of the National Research Council (CNR-IAMC). The USVs are part of a larger project of CNR-IAMC on systems and integrated technologies for the detection and monitoring of advanced geophysical and environmental parameters in coastal areas, which includes the use of aerial and terrestrial drones. The USVs project started in October 2014 and ended in April 2015, with en- gineering tests and the successful realiza- tion of two USVs. The development and realization of both USVs was completed in 28 intense weeks. Modular and Reconfgurable USVs: Design Principles The design of the USVs was preceded by a deep analysis of the state of the art of unmanned vessels for scientifc purposes. This survey included the vessels Artemis, Aces and AutoCat from MIT (among oth- ers); the Portuguese platforms Delfm from Istituto Superiore Tecnico, ROAZ II and Swordfsh from the University of Porto; the German drone MESSIN from the Uni- versity of Rostock; and the English vessel Springer from the University of Plymouth. Unlike the universities mentioned above, the end-user of our project is a scientifc oceanographic institute, not a robotic research group. This fact has been taken into account in the design phase: The USVs must be easy to operate and maintain, and they should have the capability of being ex- panded in the future, even by nonroboticists. Key Design Points The USVs have a catamaran shape, because of the sta- bility offered by the platform when compared to monohull solutions. This is very important because the quality of the data coming from the sensors is heavily infuenced by the stability and inclination of the vessel. The USVs do not have a rudder, but are instead powered by two thrusters controlled in a differential manner. This al- lows for the simplifcation of the general mechanical design of the vehicles, reducing the maintenance of moving parts. Furthermore, this increases the maneuverability of the ves- sels at low speeds, since they can turn on the spot, making them very agile vehicles even in cluttered areas. The two motors are electric, with embedded power electronics, and the housing is placed at direct water contact for cooling pur- Development of Modular USVs For Coastal Zone Monitoring Two New USVs to Monitor Geophysical, Environmental Parameters By Dr. Enrico Simetti • Dr. Sandro Torelli • Alessandro Sperindé A USV engaged during the fnal engineering tests.