Each underwater robot will be provided with a mission as part of pre-launch communications. Through the ship-based USBL and seafloor dynamic LBL positioning, the robot will move to the desired target starting location. At the start and end of each path, the robot will perform a small visual survey. When arriving at the start of a run, the robot will survey the area briefly to ensure that the positional alignment of the new path is correctly positioned relative to the start or end of the robot from past paths. It will use the distinctive pattern of nodules in the survey as a fingerprint to understand any centimeter-level misalignments that the navigation system is experiencing relative to the navigation system from other robot trips to the same location.
