Unmanned Surface Vehicle Simulator with Realistic Environmental Disturbances

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Environmental Science
• Computer Simulation

Background:

• Robotics are increasingly utilized in disaster response scenarios.
• Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) face significant challenges navigating unpredictable environmental forces like waves, wind, and currents.
• Developing effective navigation strategies for USVs in harsh conditions is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel simulation environment for Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs).
• To model the environmental forces acting on USVs in disaster scenarios.
• To provide a platform for assessing USV control strategies under various environmental disturbances.

Main Methods:

• Integration of a realistic Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) model with robotic middleware.
• Simulation of environmental forces including waves, wind, and water currents.
• Development of evaluation scenarios, such as bridge inspection under adverse conditions.

Main Results:

• The simulation environment successfully models environmental forces impacting USV navigation.
• Environmental forces were shown to negatively affect USV trajectories.
• The study highlights the critical need for enhanced USV control strategies.

Conclusions:

• The developed simulation environment is a valuable tool for researching USV navigation in disaster scenarios.
• Further research into USV control strategies is necessary to mitigate the effects of harsh environmental conditions.
• The findings underscore the importance of realistic modeling for advancing autonomous marine systems.