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

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.

@article{el-muftu2025_2505.12450,
  title={ A Robot Simulation Environment for Virtual Reality Enhanced Underwater Manipulation and Seabed Intervention Tasks },
  author={ Sumey El-Muftu and Berke Gur },
  journal={arXiv preprint arXiv:2505.12450},
  year={ 2025 }
}