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

TL;DR

The paper presents $MARUN^2$, a Unity-based underwater robotic simulator tightly integrated with URSULA, a squid-inspired robot with tendon-driven soft limbs, to enable VR-enhanced teleoperation and seabed intervention. By coupling Unity's physics with ROS Noetic mission software and a web-based UI, the framework supports immersive control, online ROS–Unity data exchange, and planned haptic feedback. Validation includes controlled simulations and a 10-subject VR versus 2-D interface study, demonstrating that VR enhances realism, engagement, and task efficiency, albeit with some dizziness and user variability. Overall, $MARUN^2$ offers a practical, VR-enabled pre-deployment testing and operator-training platform for complex underwater manipulation tasks, with future work focusing on sensor integration, improved hydrodynamics, and richer actuation models.

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. (MARUN)2 utilizes the Unity game engine for physics-based rigid body dynamic simulation and underwater environment modeling. 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.

Figures (6)

• Figure 1: A rendering of the production-ready 3-D solid model of URSULA highlighting key design aspects
• Figure 2: The first prototype of URSULA undergoing preliminary pool tests
• Figure 3: Underwater environment depicting a sunken submarine, a surface vessel, and the URSULA robot.
• Figure 4: A schematic of the basic building blocks of the (MARUN)$^2$ simulation environment, highlighting the Unity and ROS modules as well as VR and haptic feedback capabilities.
• Figure 5: An early version of the navigation module of the web-based UI developed for URSULA. In the simulation module, the map of the navigation module is replaced with a Unity render of the robot and its environment.