A Robot Simulation Environment for Virtual Reality Enhanced Underwater Manipulation and Seabed Intervention Tasks

A Robot Simulation Environment for Virtual Reality Enhanced Underwater Manipulation and Seabed Intervention T asks* Sumey El-M uft u 1 and Berke G ur 2 Abstract -- This paper presents the (MARUN) 2 underwater robotic simulator . The simulator architecture enables seamless integration with the ROS-based mission software and web-based user interface of URSULA, a squid inspired biomimetic robot designed for dexterous underwater manipulation and seabed intervention tasks. Utilizing Unity as the simulation environment enables the integration of virtual reality and haptic feedback capabilities for a more immersive and realistic experience for improved operator dexterity and experience. The utility of the simulator and improved dexterity provided by the VR module is validated through user experiments. I. INTRODUCTION Advancements in underwater robotic manipulation have paved the way for remote teleoperation and intervention in challenging aquatic environments. Several well-publicized recent developments have emphasized the increasing importance of dexterous underwater manipulation and intervention capabilities, in particular, for vehicles operating close to the seabed. In line with these developments, novel underwater robots specifically designed for such tasks have emerged over the recent years [1]-[3], including project URSULA.