Development of an Underwater Simulator using Unity3D and Robot Operating System

Abstract

We developed an Open-Source Underwater Simulator that uses Unity3D for the simulating Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) operations and Robot Operating System (ROS) as the middleware to control the simulated vehicle. This simulator provides a virtual environment in which a vehicle can be simulated with a multi-beam SONAR and interact with features such as hilly terrain, lake, and pipelines. The vehicle is fitted with sensors and cameras to continuously monitor its state. The end-user is presented with an interactive user interface, which allows them to control various elements of the simulation. The application connects with ROS over a WebSocket to receive commands and send back parameters, video feed, and SONAR data, allowing the user to map the vehicle’s environment in 3 dimensions using a mapping library. The simulator is tested with an adaptive lawn-mower type planner to display its full capabilities.