UW MORSE: The underwater Modular Open Robot Simulation Engine

Abstract

This paper presents an open-source simulation environment for underwater vehicles and robots. The simulation environment allows the user to simulate underwater robotic vehicles with realistic dynamic behavior in a 3-dimensional virtual environment. The environment is highly configurable, and offers a set of modules for simulating different types of vehicles in a number of underwater scenarios. The simulator can be used for control system development, path planning, risk management and testing in a safe virtual environment. The possibility for virtual testing will lower the cost and reduce time of operations. The simulation environment is an expansion of MORSE - Modular Open Robots Simulation Engine. The modular nature of MORSE allows the user to easily configure the simulations, making new environments and robots, as well as adding sensor and control interfaces. This expansion includes modules for hydrodynamic simulation, thrusters and underwater sensors. These modules enables the user to make a virtual replica of a specific underwater robot system. Such replica may be used as a Software-in-the-loop system for testing and verification of control systems and algorithms. The simulation environment allows interaction with a large set of robotic middlewares.