Evaluation of an Autonomous Surface Robot Equipped with a Transformable Mobility Mechanism for Efficient Mobility Control

Efficient mobility and power consumption are critical for autonomous water surface robots in long-term water environmental monitoring. This study develops and evaluates a transformable mobility mechanism for a water surface robot with two control modes: station-keeping and traveling to improve energy efficiency and maneuverability. Field experiments show that, in a round-trip task between two points, the traveling mode reduces power consumption by 10% and decreases the total time required for travel by 5% compared to the station-keeping mode. These results confirm the effectiveness of the transformable mobility mechanism for enhancing operational efficiency in patrolling on water surface.