Simulation environment for underground flooded mines robotic exploration

Abstract

Underwater experiments with unmanned vehicles are complex, costly, time-consuming and in some circumstances potentially dangerous, involving the risk of losing or damaging the robots. The nature of the underwater environment, makes it very difficult, for researchers, to observe the evolution of the running system. Simulators are useful tools for the development of unmanned vehicle software, algorithm benchmarking and system preliminary validation. In this work, the problem of simulating a complex underwater scenario for marine robotics and a comparative analysis of simulators for marine robotics are presented. Relevant sensors for underwater robots under development, such as multibeam and imaging 2D sonar were implemented in two simulators and tested in a realistic experimental scenario like a flooded mine.