English

NemeSys: Toward Online Underwater Exploration with Remote Operator-in-the-loop Adaptive Autonomy

Robotics 2026-04-22 v2

Abstract

Adaptive mission control and dynamic parameter reconfiguration are essential for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) operating in GPS-denied, communication-limited marine environments. However, AUV platforms generally execute static, pre-programmed missions or rely on tethered connections and high-latency acoustic channels for mid-mission updates, significantly limiting their adaptability and responsiveness. In this paper, we introduce NemeSys, a novel AUV system designed to support real-time mission reconfiguration through compact magnetoelectric (ME) signaling. We present the full system design, control architecture, and a mission encoding framework that enables interactive exploration and task adaptation via low-bandwidth communication. The proposed system is validated through analytical modeling, controlled simulation tests, and real-world trials. The mid-mission retasking scenarios, evaluated using the NemeSys digital twin, demonstrate behavior switching latency below 50 ms with only a 13.2 MB peak computational overhead, making the framework suitable for deployment on edge computing hardware. Laboratory tank tests and open-water field trials further confirm stable control and reliable mission execution in dynamic underwater environments. These results establish the feasibility of online mission reconfiguration and highlight NemeSys as a promising step toward responsive, goal-driven adaptive underwater autonomy.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2507.11889,
  title  = {NemeSys: Toward Online Underwater Exploration with Remote Operator-in-the-loop Adaptive Autonomy},
  author = {Adnan Abdullah and Alankrit Gupta and Vaishnav Ramesh and Shivali Patel and Md Jahidul Islam},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2507.11889},
  year   = {2026}
}

Comments

10 pages, V2

R2 v1 2026-07-01T04:03:33.871Z