The Maritime Autonomy Research group at Florida Atlantic University's SeaTech Institute develops autonomous marine systems for electromagnetic sensing, navigation and control of modular USVs and AUVs, and autonomous systems for harvesting ocean energy — all supported by modeling and simulation and field testing. Our work spans Navy-relevant and civilian applications, with an emphasis on transitioning research outcomes to deployable, field-validated capability.
Current work centers on autonomous navigation and control of USVs, vision-based AI-assisted object detection and classification for obstacle avoidance, deep reinforcement learning (DRL)-based control, and the coordination of collaborating USV teams. We also explore the application of autonomous marine systems for harvesting ocean and tidal currents using USV-based marine hydrokinetic (MHK) turbines. In parallel, we are developing an integrated electric and magnetic field (EMF) sensor system and conducting field deployment and testing in open waters, enabling concurrent E- and B-field measurement in the water column with accurate geolocation. The group operates from the Dania Beach campus, adjacent to the Navy's South Florida Ocean Measurement Facility (SFOMF).
We are committed to training the next generation of ocean engineers through hands-on research, field operations, and collaboration with U.S. Navy and industry partners.
U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR)
NSWC-Panama City via NEEC
Florida Atlantic University
Faculty
Manhar Dhanak, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Professor, Ocean & Mechanical Engineering, FAU
Students
XV
Xavier Vicent Navarro
PhD Candidate
Decentralized cooperative navigation of USV–UAV teams
DM
Danny Morris
MS Student
Sensor-equipped towfish for AUV deployment
EB
Eric Benavidez
MS Student
Geomagnetic navigation
Staff
JF
John Frankenfield
Staff Engineer
Mechanical and field support
Autonomous navigation & control of USVs
Development and field validation of autonomous navigation and control systems for modular WAM-V 16 USVs, including path planning, obstacle avoidance, and station-keeping. Controllers include PID, fuzzy logic-assisted PID, and deep reinforcement learning (DRL)-based approaches, with demonstrated sim-to-real transfer from Gazebo/VRX simulation environments to physical platforms.
AI-enabled perception & object detection
Vision-based detection and classification of maritime objects using LiDAR (Velodyne VLP-16), ZED 2i stereo cameras, and YOLO-based deep learning algorithms integrated via a custom ROS2 autonomy stack. Supports obstacle avoidance, target tracking, and COLREGs-compliant autonomous navigation.
Collaborative & heterogeneous multi-vehicle autonomy
Decentralized multi-agent coordination of USV–UAV–UUV teams for naval-relevant missions including formation control, rendezvous, task allocation, and distributed swarming. Coordination frameworks are based on artificial potential fields (APF) and decentralized cooperative control, validated in simulation and field experiments involving two WAM-V 16 USVs, a UAV, and a UUV.
Electromagnetic field (EMF) sensing
Development of a compact integrated sensor package for concurrent measurement of electric (E) and magnetic (B) fields in the water column, housed in a low-noise streamlined towfish deployed from an AUV or USV. A key advantage of the towfish configuration is spatial separation from the host platform, reducing platform-induced electromagnetic interference and enhancing signal fidelity.
Geomagnetic navigation & anomaly detection
Machine-learning and Gaussian process-based algorithms for real-time detection and localization of subsurface magnetic anomalies to support AUV geomagnetic navigation in GPS-denied environments, including geomagnetic and bathymetry-based terrain-aided navigation.
Ocean energy harvesting
Application of autonomous marine platforms for harvesting tidal and ocean currents using USV-based marine hydrokinetic (MHK) turbines, including modeling, design, and field testing of low-flow MHK systems for small unmanned mobile recharge stations.
Modeling, simulation & field testing
Integrated modeling and simulation using Gazebo/VRX environments, hydrodynamic modeling of WAM-V 16 USVs, and extensive at-sea field validation offshore of Fort Lauderdale at FAU SeaTech's SFOMF range. Simulation-to-field transfer is a core methodology underpinning all platform development activities.
Funded projects
Books
Springer Handbook of Ocean Engineering 2016
Springer, 2016. ISBN 978-3-319-16649-0
Journal & Conference Papers
PID auto-tuning for USVs: a multi-evolutionary optimization AI approach 2026
Ocean Engineering, Volume 355, Part 1, 2026
Using independent component analysis for magnetic anomaly detection and localization of closely located targets 2025
AIP Advances, 1 September 2025; 15 (9): 095007
Fuzzy logic-assisted PID control for improved station-keeping of a catamaran-style USV 2025
OCEANS 2025 – Great Lakes, Chicago, IL, USA, 2025, pp. 1–8. doi: 10.23919/OCEANS59106.2025.11245057
Decentralized COLREGs-based navigation for multiple USVs using artificial potential fields 2025
OCEANS 2025 – Great Lakes, Chicago, IL, USA, 2025, pp. 1–9. doi: 10.23919/OCEANS59106.2025.11244982
Development of a towed sensor towfish for AUV-based mapping of subsea electromagnetic field 2025
OCEANS 2025 – Great Lakes, Chicago, IL, USA, 2025, pp. 1–6. doi: 10.23919/OCEANS59106.2025.11245009
A magnetic anomaly and particle velocity array correlator for the detection of internal waves in the ocean 2024
AIP Advances, 1 July 2024; 14 (7): 075102
Performance and comparison of PID-based techniques for USV navigation 2024
OCEANS 2024 – Halifax, Halifax, NS, Canada, 2024, pp. 1–10. doi: 10.1109/OCEANS55160.2024.10754061
Improved three-dimensional terrain-aided AUV navigation using error state filtering 2024
OCEANS 2024 – Halifax, Halifax, NS, Canada, 2024, pp. 1–9. doi: 10.1109/OCEANS55160.2024.10753849
Low-flow marine hydrokinetic turbine for small autonomous unmanned mobile recharge stations 2024
U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI), 2024
Development of an unmanned mobile current turbine platform 2023
Proceedings of the 15th European Wave and Tidal Energy Conference (EWTEC), Bilbao, Spain, 2023. doi: 10.36688/ewtec-2023-402
Sensor bias error estimation for terrain-aided navigation using low-cost AUVs 2023
OCEANS 2023 – Limerick, Limerick, Ireland, 2023, pp. 1–7
Placement and denoising of total magnetic field sensors onboard an AUV in support of geophysical navigation 2022
OCEANS 2022, Hampton Roads, VA, USA, 2022, pp. 1–7. doi: 10.1109/OCEANS47191.2022.9977322
Hydrodynamic performance of a catamaran in shallow waters 2022
Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 2022
Thrust response and polynomial drag characterization of a USV with electric motors 2021
OCEANS 2021: San Diego – Porto, 2021
Applying blind source separation to magnetic anomaly detection algorithms 2019
OCEANS 2019 MTS/IEEE, Seattle, WA, 2019
Genetic algorithm based real-time localization of a magnetic anomaly with an AUV 2018
OCEANS 2018 MTS/IEEE, Charleston, SC, 2018
A deep learning approach to target recognition in side-scan sonar imagery 2018
OCEANS 2018 MTS/IEEE, Charleston, SC, 2018
Effects of EMF emissions from undersea electric cables on coral reef fish 2018
Aquatic Biology, 2018
Launch and recovery of an autonomous underwater vehicle from a station-keeping unmanned surface vehicle 2018
IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering, 43(2), 2018
Stereovision-based target tracking system for USV operations 2017
Ocean Engineering, 2017
A USV platform for surface autonomy 2017
OCEANS 2017 MTS/IEEE, Anchorage, AK, 2017
Control of an unmanned surface vehicle with uncertain displacement and drag 2016
IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering, 42(2), 2016
A USV-based automated launch and recovery system for AUVs 2016
IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering, 42(1), 2016
Resolution-adaptive risk-aware trajectory planning for surface vehicles operating in congested civilian traffic 2016
Autonomous Robots, 40(7), 2016
Characterization of EMF emissions from submarine cables and monitoring for potential responses of marine species 2015
11th European Wave and Tidal Energy Conference (EWTEC), Nantes, France, 2015
Experimental evaluation of automatically-generated behaviors for USV operations 2015
Ocean Engineering, 2015
Trajectory planning with adaptive control primitives for autonomous surface vehicles operating in congested civilian traffic 2014
2014 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), Chicago, IL, 2014
High-level fuzzy logic guidance system for a USV tasked to perform autonomous launch and recovery of an AUV 2014
IEEE OCEANS 2014, St. John's, NL, Canada, 2014
Stereo vision-based target tracking system for a USV 2014
OCEANS 2014 MTS/IEEE, St. John's, NL, Canada, 2014
Magnetic field surveys of coastal waters using an AUV-towed magnetometer 2013
MTS/IEEE OCEANS 2013, San Diego, CA, 2013
Unmanned recovery of an AUV from a surface platform 2013
OCEANS 2013 MTS/IEEE, San Diego, CA, 2013
Homing an unmanned underwater vehicle equipped with a DUSBL to an unmanned surface platform 2013
OCEANS 2013 MTS/IEEE, San Diego, CA, 2013
Dynamics-aware target following for an autonomous surface vehicle operating under COLREGs in civilian traffic 2013
2013 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), Tokyo, Japan, 2013
Seakeeping characteristics of a wave-adaptive modular unmanned surface vehicle 2013
Proceedings of the ASME 2013 32nd International Conference on Ocean, Offshore and Arctic Engineering (OMAE2013), Nantes, France, 2013
An assessment of the hydrokinetic energy resource of the Florida Current 2012
IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering, 37(2), 2012
Utilizing the hybrid coordinate ocean model for the assessment of the Florida Current's hydrokinetic renewable energy resource 2012
Marine Technology Society Journal, 46(2), 2012
Coastal oceanography using a small AUV 2001
Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 18(2), 2001
An AUV survey in the littoral zone: small-scale subsurface variability accompanying synoptic observations of surface currents 2001
IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering, 26(4), 2001
An autonomous ocean turbulence measurement platform 1999
Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 16(11), 1999
Videos
Open ocean testing of the WAM-V 16 USV off the coast of Fort Lauderdale
Vision-based leader-following: autonomous USV tracking using stereo vision and deep learning
UAV takeoff and landing simulation in the Virtual RobotX (VRX) Gazebo environment
Aerial drone flight deck operations: UAV launch and recovery from the WAM-V 16 USV
Deep reinforcement learning (DRL)-based navigation and control of the WAM-V 16 USV in field trials
Photos
FAU's WAM-V 16 unmanned surface vehicle (USV) at the SeaTech facility, Dania Beach
Two WAM-V 16 USVs operating collaboratively during field experiments
Custom EMF sensor towfish for AUV-based measurement of electric and magnetic fields in the water column
Additional video content will be added as field campaigns are completed.
PhD dissertations — in progress
Decentralized cooperative navigation of USV–UAV teams in the maritime domain
PhD Dissertation, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University (submitted)
PhD dissertations supervised — completed
Modeling, implementation and control of a CVT based PTO for a small scale MHK-turbine in low-flow speed operation 2024
PhD Dissertation, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
Small unmanned marine hydrokinetic platforms for power generation in coastal and tidal waters 2024
PhD Dissertation, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
Hydrodynamic performance and seakeeping analysis of a catamaran in transforming near-shore head and following seas 2022
PhD Dissertation, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
Empirical analysis of the dissipated acoustic energy in wave breaking 2020
PhD Dissertation, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
Hydrodynamic performance of an unmanned catamaran vehicle in head seas 2019
PhD Dissertation, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
Tidal power arrays and the Coriolis force with array design considerations 2019
PhD Dissertation, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
Flow control through geometric modifications to improve airfoil/hydrofoil performance 2019
PhD Dissertation, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
Wave ship interaction in transforming seas 2017
PhD Dissertation, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
Numerical simulation of an ocean current turbine operating in a wake field 2016
PhD Dissertation, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
Automated launch and recovery system for AUVs from USVs 2016
PhD Dissertation, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
Performance enhancement of an ACV in varying water depth 2015
PhD Dissertation, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
Stereo vision-based target tracking system for USV operations 2015
PhD Dissertation, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
Hydrokinetic resource assessment of the Florida Current 2012
PhD Dissertation, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
Surface pressure fluctuations due to an impinging under-expanded supersonic jet 2002
PhD Dissertation, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
Subsurface structure of an atmospherically forced water column in littoral waters 2002
PhD Dissertation, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
Ocean turbulence measurement using an autonomous underwater vehicle 1997
PhD Dissertation, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
MS theses — in progress
Object avoidance system onboard an AUV in support of geomagnetic based navigation systems
MS Thesis, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University (in progress)
Sensor-equipped towfish for deployment from an AUV
MS Thesis, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University (in progress)
MS theses supervised — completed
PID auto-tuning of USVs — a multi-evolutionary optimization approach 2025
MS Thesis, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
Development and methodology for AUV-based geomagnetic surveys in support of geophysical navigation 2024
MS Thesis, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
Attitude measuring sensor for a towed body 2024
MS Thesis, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
Characterization of a stereo vision system for object classification for USV navigation 2022
MS Thesis, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
Development of a sliding mode controller and control allocation optimized for electro-magnetic actuator limitations 2022
MS Thesis, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
Design, simulation, and testing of a CVT based PTO and controller for a small scale MHK-turbine in low flow speed operation 2022
MS Thesis, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
Design & development of a secure self-leveling wireless recharging platform for an aerial drone on an unmanned surface vessel 2021
MS Thesis, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
An automated anchoring system for an unmanned surface vehicle 2021
MS Thesis, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
Localized flow modification to increase power capture of a small-scale floating undershot waterwheel 2020
MS Thesis, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
Generative adversarial network data generation for the use of real time image detection in side-scan sonar imagery 2019
MS Thesis, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
Deep learning for automatic target recognition in side-scan sonar imagery 2018
MS Thesis, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
A low-level controller for a USV 2018
MS Thesis, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
Real-time localization of a magnetic anomaly: a study on the effectiveness of a genetic algorithm for implementation on an autonomous underwater vehicle 2017
MS Thesis, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
Characterization of internal wave activity in the Straits of Florida 2017
MS Thesis, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
Optical 2D positional estimation for a biomimetic station-keeping autonomous underwater vehicle 2015
MS Thesis, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
EMF emissions from submarine cables 2013
MS Thesis, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
Internal waves on a continental shelf 2012
MS Thesis, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
Global distribution of ocean thermal energy conversion resources and applicability in US waters near Florida 2012
MS Thesis, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
System identification methodology for a wave adaptive modular unmanned surface vehicle 2011
MS Thesis, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
Flow past an underwater turbine 2010
MS Thesis, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
Test platform development for measuring surface effect ship response to wave loads 2010
MS Thesis, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
Subsurface flow generated by a steady wind stress applied at the water surface 2003
MS Thesis, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
Thermocline tracking with an upgraded ocean explorer autonomous underwater vehicle 2003
MS Thesis, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
Oceanic turbulence measurement using an AUV platform and development of graphical interfaces for data acquisition and analysis 2001
MS Thesis, Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University