  The definition of Good Experimental Methodologies (GEMs) in robotics is a
topic of widespread interest due also to the increasing employment of robots in
everyday civilian life. The present work contributes to the ongoing discussion
on GEMs for Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs). It focuses on the definition of
GEMs and provides specific guidelines for path-following experiments.
Statistically designed experiments (DoE) offer a valid basis for developing an
empirical model of the system being investigated. A two-step adaptive
experimental procedure for evaluating path-following performance and based on
DoE, is tested on the simulator of the Charlie USV. The paper argues the
necessity of performing extensive simulations prior to the execution of field
trials.
