Development of hardware and position tracking algorithm for a Floating Waste-Collecting Robot

초록

This article presents the design, modeling, and control of the Floating Waste-Collecting Robot, which advances vortex-based debris collection by implementing an actively tunable artificial vortex generator on a mobile platform. The robot combines two side thrusters with a suction unit that houses a pump-driven impeller and an upper disk whose speed is adjustable in real time, allowing the vortex radius to adapt without precise alignment between hull and debris. A planar three-degree-of-freedom model was derived, and added-mass and nonlinear damping coefficients were identified experimentally. These parameters supported a double-input, double-output PID controller. Pump command-to-vortex induced yaw torque was characterized and used as a feed-forward term. Optimal heading-angle gains determined in simulation reduced steady-state error by 87.8 %, and applying the same gains in tank trials lowered the error by 77.6 %. During a four-waypoint mission with the pump active, the robot maintained a surge speed error within 6.3 % and kept the heading error to a root mean square value of 11.2 degrees and a steady-state value no greater than 2 degrees, demonstrating robust tracking despite internal vortex disturbances. These results confirm that combining a tunable vortex generator with feed-forward control markedly improves debris-collection capability and offers a scalable approach to autonomous surface-waste removal.

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