University of Girona

Computer Vision and Robotics Research Group

Contact Information

  • Prof. Pere Ridao
  • +34 972418905

University of Girona

The Girona Underwater Vision and Robotics research lab (cirs.udg.edu), as part of the ViCOROB Institute from the University of Girona, Spain, has a strong experience in the design and development of hovering AUV prototypes with high-resolution image mapping capabilities.

Five AUV prototypes have been designed during the last 12 years, all of them having a different conceptual design. Being GIRONA 500 AUV and SPARUS II AUV the currently operative platforms, GIRONA1000, the latest AUV, is under development.

Underwater Vehicles Description More information
GIRONA 500 Reconfigurable autonomous underwater vehicle. Read more…
SPARUS II Version I designed in 2010, Version II since 2013. Read more…
GIRONA 1000 In development. Read more…

During the last years the team has worked on the development of advanced image processing techniques for the 2D and 3D mapping of the seafloor, as well as with the fusion of these techniques with navigation data coming from state of the art navigation sensors (DVL, Gyros, USBL) together with global optimization techniques to face large-scale maps. Map based navigation and SLAM of underwater robots using both acoustics and/or video images is currently one of the main topics of research.

VICOROB has also a long experience in intelligent control architectures and has contributed in mission control systems, behaviour-based architectures, robot learning and path planning for AUVs. Finally, the group has expertise in mechatronics and software integration.

Recently, four Sparus II AUVs have been developed to be delivered to external research institutions, three of them participating in the EU-funded euRathlon underwater competition. UdG has consistently shown in the past that it can afford young and senior researchers the proper intellectual setting for training in the interdisciplinary field of cooperative autonomous robotics. After 20 years doing research, the team has become a benchmark in Europe for the design and construction of autonomous underwater vehicles, and the development of cutting edge software for the processing of visual and acoustic data. The team is also a member of TECNIO network of Excellence in technology transfer in Catalonia region.

We are located in Scientific and Technological Park of the UdG.

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This project was funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and neither the European Commission nor the NA DAAD is responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Project ID: 2018-1-DE01-KA203-004259.

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