Rules of the
517
Part B | 23.1
23. Rules of the Road for Unmanned Marine Vehicles
Joseph A. Curcio
The growing use of unmanned marine vehicles
(UMVs) demands safe and reliable operation in
order to assure acceptance and integration into
public water space. By looking at the evolution
of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) and examining
the existing legal structure related to safe maritime operations, we explore the path ahead for
UMVs. The existing COLREGS (rules of the road) for
marine vessel operation may be undergoing modifications in order to accommodate UMVs, while
simultaneously, designers of UMVs are working on
developing advanced autonomy behaviors that
exhibit human-like on-water performance by
UMVs. This paper presents a snapshot of the rapidly
changing field of UMV operation, with particular
23.1 COLREGS............................................... 517
23.2 Sensing the World ............................... 518
23.3 Proper Behaviors Yield Compliance ....... 519
23.4 Integrating UMVs
into Public Water Space ....................... 523
23.5 Developing Standards .......................... 524
23.6 The Road Ahead .................................. 525
23.7 Conclusion........................................... 525
References................................................... 526
focus on software technology shaping higher level
autonomy behavior and on the legal landscape
providing the framework for acceptable operation
in public water space.
Unmanned marine vehicles (UMVs) operating in populated waterways may require compliance with existing
rules such as the collision regulations defined by the
convention on the international regulations for preventing collisions at sea (COLREGS) [23.1] as published
by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and
widely accepted by individual nations through international treaty agreements. Every mobile marine platform
carries the risk of becoming involved in a collision
with both stationary and mobile objects and vehicles.
This risk exists regardless of whether the platforms
are manned or unmanned. Owners and operators of
mobile robotic marine platforms must take certain responsibility and action by designs intended to mitigate
risks associated with the potential for collision and errant conduct by these platforms. This notion suggests
that UMVs may need to operate in a very human-like
manner so that their maneuvering will be recognizably
executed and accurately interpreted by other vessels operating in their vicinity.
Rules and regulations pertaining to the operation
of UMVs in public water space are evolving topics. The existing marine COLREGS rules of the road
may themselves need to change in order to accommodate UMV interoperability with other manned and
unmanned vessels. We will explore here the current
state of technology associated with keeping UMV operations compliant with the existing COLREGS requirements and discuss the natural evolution of both the
technology and the legal framework that will be necessary in order to keep pace with this technological
development.
23.1 COLREGS
COLREGS establish a set of standard procedures that
mariners are expected to follow. Comprised of approximately four dozen rules, they cover fundamental vessel
maneuvering, vessel markings, situation awareness requirements, and signal specifications. In nautical terms
these rules prescribe proper procedures for maneuvering a vessel and specify additional requirements for
light and sound signals that alert other mariners to
517
Part B | 23.1
23. Rules of the Road for Unmanned Marine Vehicles
Joseph A. Curcio
The growing use of unmanned marine vehicles
(UMVs) demands safe and reliable operation in
order to assure acceptance and integration into
public water space. By looking at the evolution
of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) and examining
the existing legal structure related to safe maritime operations, we explore the path ahead for
UMVs. The existing COLREGS (rules of the road) for
marine vessel operation may be undergoing modifications in order to accommodate UMVs, while
simultaneously, designers of UMVs are working on
developing advanced autonomy behaviors that
exhibit human-like on-water performance by
UMVs. This paper presents a snapshot of the rapidly
changing field of UMV operation, with particular
23.1 COLREGS............................................... 517
23.2 Sensing the World ............................... 518
23.3 Proper Behaviors Yield Compliance ....... 519
23.4 Integrating UMVs
into Public Water Space ....................... 523
23.5 Developing Standards .......................... 524
23.6 The Road Ahead .................................. 525
23.7 Conclusion........................................... 525
References................................................... 526
focus on software technology shaping higher level
autonomy behavior and on the legal landscape
providing the framework for acceptable operation
in public water space.
Unmanned marine vehicles (UMVs) operating in populated waterways may require compliance with existing
rules such as the collision regulations defined by the
convention on the international regulations for preventing collisions at sea (COLREGS) [23.1] as published
by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and
widely accepted by individual nations through international treaty agreements. Every mobile marine platform
carries the risk of becoming involved in a collision
with both stationary and mobile objects and vehicles.
This risk exists regardless of whether the platforms
are manned or unmanned. Owners and operators of
mobile robotic marine platforms must take certain responsibility and action by designs intended to mitigate
risks associated with the potential for collision and errant conduct by these platforms. This notion suggests
that UMVs may need to operate in a very human-like
manner so that their maneuvering will be recognizably
executed and accurately interpreted by other vessels operating in their vicinity.
Rules and regulations pertaining to the operation
of UMVs in public water space are evolving topics. The existing marine COLREGS rules of the road
may themselves need to change in order to accommodate UMV interoperability with other manned and
unmanned vessels. We will explore here the current
state of technology associated with keeping UMV operations compliant with the existing COLREGS requirements and discuss the natural evolution of both the
technology and the legal framework that will be necessary in order to keep pace with this technological
development.
23.1 COLREGS
COLREGS establish a set of standard procedures that
mariners are expected to follow. Comprised of approximately four dozen rules, they cover fundamental vessel
maneuvering, vessel markings, situation awareness requirements, and signal specifications. In nautical terms
these rules prescribe proper procedures for maneuvering a vessel and specify additional requirements for
light and sound signals that alert other mariners to