Model Identification and Control of Autonomous Surface Vessels: An Overview of Recent Advances and Future Perspectives

In recent years, autonomous surface vessels (ASVs) have attracted significant interest from various scientific communities, owing in part to their potential applications in both civil and military domains. Advances in navigation, perception, planning, and control techniques have markedly enhanced the performance of ASVs in various aquatic and oceanic environments. In particular, model identification and control techniques for ASVs, which are essential for autonomous mission execution, have garnered considerable attention over the past few decades. This article provides an overview of state-of-the-art model identification and control strategies developed for ASVs across a range of tasks and scenarios. First, the common components and configurations of a typical class of ASVs are introduced. Second, as prerequisites for designing various model-based control strategies, the modeling and identification of ASVs are discussed. Third, existing motion control strategies for ASVs are surveyed, including control strategies for individual ASVs and distributed coordination control strategies for multiple ASVs. Additionally, future prospects are explored, highlighting potential research directions and emerging trends in the field.