Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Michael McCarrin is a robotics researcher specializing in maritime and underwater autonomous systems, with a particular focus on simulation environments that accelerate the development and testing of robotic technologies in challenging aquatic settings. His most influential contribution, "Toward Maritime Robotic Simulation in Gazebo" (2019, 117 citations), helped establish a foundational framework for adapting the widely-used open-source Gazebo simulator to maritime robotics applications, significantly reducing the time, cost, and risk associated with deploying robotic systems at sea. Building on this work, McCarrin co-developed the DAVE Aquatic Virtual Environment (DAVE), an open-source simulation stack tailored specifically to the unique physical and perceptual challenges of underwater environments — a project that has already garnered 46 citations since its 2022 release. His research also extends into underwater perception, with notable work on physics-based modeling of multibeam echosounder sensors for autonomous underwater manipulation (2021, 46 citations), addressing critical challenges such as turbidity and acoustic backscatter that complicate subsea operations. Through open-source tools and rigorous simulation methodologies, McCarrin's work is actively shaping the future of underwater and maritime robotics research.