High power leds in localization of underwater robotics swarms

In this paper we propose the use of a cheap power led system to support acoustic devices in the localization and formation control tasks for an underwater robotics swarm. The system is based on light signal exchanged between the machines and uses power led of different wavelength to calculate distances between them. The unknown water conditions, affecting the light propagation, ask for special strategies to make the approach robust enough to be a reliable data source. Local measurements of absorption coefficients are used to measure distances between the machines for cooperative localization; power and flash time of the Ieds are stressed to vary emission conditions. The system is patent pending.