Fully automatic visual servoing control for work-class marine intervention ROVs

ROVs with hydraulic manipulators are extensively used for subsea intervention. With camera feedback from the scene, manipulators are teleoperated and slaved to pilot held master arms. While standard for offshore oil and gas, for challenging applications in waves or currents a new approach is required. We present development of robot arm visual servo control approaches used in manufacturing and the transfer and adaption of these to underwater hydraulic manipulators. This is the first time a visual servoing algorithm for automated manipulation has been developed and verified, through subsea trials, on a commercial work-class ROV with industry standard hydraulic manipulators.