ASV AeroCat: Improvements for Cooperation with Aerial Vehicles

This paper presents the enhanced version of the ASV AeroCat, an autonomous surface vehicle (ASV) of the catamaran type, now adapted for collaborative operations with aerial vehicles. The modifications introduced aim to meet the growing demand from industry and academia for solutions focused on collaboration between heterogeneous vehicles. Specifically, the improved vessel is capable of operating autonomously and collaboratively in monitoring activities, cargo transport, and as a platform for aircraft takeoff and landing. The paper details the improvements made to the original vessel, the developed collaboration topology, and the experimental validation conducted in a real-world environment. The results demonstrate that the ASV AeroCat can operate both independently and in synergy with an aerial vehicle, highlighting its potential for a wide range of applications.