Modeling and Control of an Underwater Calibration Arm

Automating calibration process is a crucial task for imaging technologies especially in an aquaculture do-main, where novel camera-based technologies are utilized to provide valuable information about the performance of the reared organisms. To target this open research question, this paper presents modelling and control concepts of a special designed underwater calibration arm (UCA) in a simulation environment. In particular, we present a calibration arm model with the kinematics assessed in various scenarios in an aquatic environment, precisely simulating the pertinent physical forces acting upon it. The model's design is based on an actual calibration arm and the simulation has been achieved through DAVE, an open-source aquatic virtual environment that provides the capability to develop and evaluate robotic applications in different underwater scenarios. The motion of the calibration arm has been achieved using a trajectory planner and an Inverse Kinematics solver, which provides the joint angles for the desired state of the end-effector. The results are promising indicating the potentials for automated camera calibration technologies in simulated aquaculture conditions. The proposed control framework can be adapted to carry out various simulation scenarios, offering valuable insights into camera calibration procedures to the unique demands of aquaculture operations.