HydroAir: An Air-Propelled Surface Vehicle for Autonomous Navigation and 3D Reconstruction in Shallow and Obstacle-Rich Aquatic Environments

This paper presents HydroAir, a novel air-propelled Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) specifically designed for operation in shallow waters and obstacle-rich aquatic environments such as lakes, reservoirs, and large dams. Unlike conventional aquatic robots, HydroAir employs an aerial propulsion system that enables it to overcome partially submerged obstacles, vegetation, and extremely shallow regions where traditional propeller-based platforms fail. The vehicle features a system with a very reliable internal architecture, providing high maneuverability and robustness in both manual and autonomous navigation modes. The primary objective of HydroAir is to serve as a mobile sensing platform for three-dimensional reconstruction of aquatic environments, particularly the underwater terrain. The onboard sensing suite enables bathymetric data acquisition, while a dedicated monitoring and control software integrates these data with aerial reconstructions obtained from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), allowing for the fusion of above-water and underwater spatial information into a unified 3D model. Experimental validations were conducted in large-scale, real-world environments, including tests in a hydroelectric dam operated by Santo Antônio Energia on the Madeira River in Brazil, demonstrating the platform’s operational feasibility, stability, and reconstruction capabilities. The results indicate that HydroAir is a promising solution for environmental monitoring, inspection, and mapping in challenging aquatic environments where conventional autonomous surface vehicles are limited.