AbstractThe solar‐powered autonomous underwater vehicle (SAUV) platform has been developed over the past several years as a means to achieve long‐endurance cooperative missions, and the design of mobile routing protocols has become one of the main areas of focus during this process. This paper reports on the lessons learned from the design, simulation‐based evaluation, and field testing of two protocols. Two areas for possible improvements are proposed and evaluated using simulations. Finally, we present suggestions drawn from field experience for improving the design, simulation, and evaluation of protocols for use in a harsh underwater environment. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
