Overall Design and Control of a Pixhawk-Based Underwater Vehicle

LI Hanghang; ZHU Faxin; LI Jingjing; WANG Shenger

doi:10.11993/j.issn.2096-3920.2025-0136

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Article Navigation > Journal of Unmanned Undersea Systems > 2026 > Accepted Manuscript

LI Hanghang, ZHU Faxin, LI Jingjing, WANG Shenger. Overall Design and Control of a Pixhawk-Based Underwater Vehicle[J]. Journal of Unmanned Undersea Systems. doi: 10.11993/j.issn.2096-3920.2025-0136

Citation:

LI Hanghang, ZHU Faxin, LI Jingjing, WANG Shenger. Overall Design and Control of a Pixhawk-Based Underwater Vehicle[J]. Journal of Unmanned Undersea Systems. doi: 10.11993/j.issn.2096-3920.2025-0136

LI Hanghang, ZHU Faxin, LI Jingjing, WANG Shenger. Overall Design and Control of a Pixhawk-Based Underwater Vehicle[J]. Journal of Unmanned Undersea Systems. doi: 10.11993/j.issn.2096-3920.2025-0136

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Overall Design and Control of a Pixhawk-Based Underwater Vehicle

doi: 10.11993/j.issn.2096-3920.2025-0136

1.
School of Naval Architecture and Maritime, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan 316022, China
2.
Yangtze River Estuary Channel Management Bureau of the Ministry of Transport, Shanghai 20000, China
3.
China Classification Society Industrial Co., Ltd. Ningbo Branch, Ningbo 31500, China

Received Date: 2025-09-28
Accepted Date: 2025-11-06
Rev Recd Date: 2025-10-31

Available Online: 2026-01-13

Abstract

Abstract

To further optimize the development cycle and project cost of underwater vehicles, this paper designs and implements a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) system based on an open-source hardware and software platform. Firstly, Fusion360 software is used for the three-dimensional modeling of the underwater vehicle, and 3D printing technology is adopted to achieve rapid prototyping. Secondly, a combined hierarchical control architecture of Pixhawk and Raspberry Pi is designed: the upper layer uses Raspberry Pi as the decision-making unit, which is responsible for running Robot Operating System (ROS) nodes, processing visual data, task planning, and high-speed communication with the ground; the lower layer uses Pixhawk as the real-time motion control unit, which calculates the navigation attitude and drives the thrusters. The MAVLink communication protocol is used to realize data interaction between the upper and lower layers, as well as between the system and the remote ground control station. Tests conducted in a static water environment show that the vehicle platform can stably receive and respond to control commands sent by the ground station, with a depth-keeping control accuracy within ±0.3 meters and a heading control deviation of less than ±3 degrees. The research indicates that the approach proposed in this paper, which is based on the open-source Pixhawk flight control platform and low-cost manufacturing technology, is feasible. This scheme shortens the development cycle and reduces the cost of the underwater robot system, and its hardware and software architecture has good scalability, providing reusable technical references and practical experience for the rapid development of small and medium-sized underwater detection equipment.
- remotely operated vehicle,
- Pixhawk,
- overall design,
- motion control,
- open-source system

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References(15)

References

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