A multi-AUV missions simulation framework for the USARSim Robotics Simulator

The maximum potential for underwater exploration rests within the use of multiple Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) and tasks involving human diver-AUV coordination. Such tasks require dependable underwater wireless communications, which normally utilize the rapidly varying acoustic channel. Rigorous testing of underwater acoustic communication systems is necessary to develop a dependable network, however, the high offshore testing costs make this difficult. Though simulators could aid the development of such AUV communication systems, the few existing simulators focus upon simulating a single vehicle and, as such, do not provide tools for simulating underwater communication systems. In this paper we present an underwater communications simulation framework designed for the Unified System for Automation and Robotics Simulator (USARSim). This simulation tool is capable of modeling networked communications between, or with, AUVs by accurately characterizing the underwater acoustic channel. Details on this simulation framework are provided along with some results obtained during development of this tool.