Underwater experiments with unmanned vehicles are complex, costly, time-consuming and
in some circumstances potentially dangerous, involving the risk of losing or damaging the
robots. The nature of the underwater environment, makes it very difficult, for researchers, to
observe the evolution of the running system. Simulators are useful tools for the development
of unmanned vehicle software, algorithm benchmarking and system preliminary validation.
In this work, the problem of simulating a complex underwater scenario for marine robotics�…

This paper presents the work performed in the implementation of an underwater simulation
environment for the development of an autonomous underwater vehicle for the exploration
of flooded underground tunnels. In particular, the implementation of a laser based structured
light system, multibeam sonar and other robot details were addressed. The simulation was
used as a relevant tool in order to study and specify the robot multiple sensors
characteristics and placement in order to adequately survey a realistic environment. A�…