A survey of AUV and robot simulators for multi-vehicle operations

This paper presents a survey of a selection of currently available simulation software for robots and unmanned vehicles. In particular, the simulators selected are reviewed for their suitability for the simulation of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), as well as their suitability for the simulation of multi-vehicle operations. The criteria for selection are based on the following features: sufficient physical fidelity to allow modelling of manipulators and end effectors; a programmatic interface, via scripting or middleware; modelling of optical and/or acoustic sensors; adequate documentation; previous use in academic research. A subset of the selected simulators are reviewed in greater detail; these are UWSim, MORSE, and Gazebo. This subset of simulators allow virtual sensors to be simulated, such as GPS, sonar, and multibeam sonar making them suitable for the design and simulation of navigation and mission planning algorithms. We conclude that simulation for underwater vehicles remains a niche problem, but with some additional effort researchers wishing to simulate such vehicles may do so, basing their work on existing software.