Glider CT: Analysis and Experimental Validation

Underwater gliders are robust ocean sensor platforms characterized by high reliability and endurance. Due to their relatively low speed, the motion of underwater gliders is strongly affected by ocean currents, which provides data to estimate the depth averaged flow velocity. The glider computerized tomography (Glider CT) algorithm reconstructs a depth-averaged flow field from the navigation errors accumulated along the glider trajectories. This paper justifies the convergence of the Glider CT algorithm as a row action method solving nonlinear equations previously used for bent-ray ultrasonic CT. The paper also validates the algorithm through experiments where the horizontal motion of underwater gliders under flow is imitated by mobile robots in a lab setting. Both theoretical analysis and experimental results suggests the Glider CT algorithm as a promising method for marine operations.