Path Planning for Safe Navigation in Canals: An Application to Small Autonomous Maritime Units

This thesis focuses on the design and deployment of a path planning system for an autonomous surface vehicle operating within inland water channels. As part of the development process, specific algorithms were employed to leverage ArUco markers for the identification of the target location. These markers serve as reliable visual references, enabling accurate localization of the destination and thereby facilitating the effective operation of the path planning algorithm. The work addresses core challenges in marine system navigation, including autonomous decision-making and obstacle avoidance. The developed algorithm enables the vehicle to compute safe and efficient trajectories from a designated departure point to a target location, which can be either predefined or identified through dedicated markers positioned along the channel. The proposed solution emphasizes system integration, environmental perception, and navigation in constrained aquatic environments, while addressing challenges posed by the non-real-time water detection and its occasional misclassification of navigable areas.