There exist a wide range of options for field robotics research using ground and aerial mobile robots, but there are comparatively few robust and research-ready uncrewed surface vessels (USVs). This workshop paper starts with a snapshot of USVs currently available to the research community and then describes "OtterROS", an open source ROS 2 solution for the Otter USV. Field experiments using OtterROS are described, which highlight the utility of the Otter USV and the benefits of using ROS 2 in aquatic robotics research. For those interested in USV research, the paper details recommended hardware to run OtterROS and includes an example ROS 2 package using OtterROS, removing unnecessary non-recurring engineering from field robotics research activities.
@article{arxiv.2404.05627,
title = {OtterROS: Picking and Programming an Uncrewed Surface Vessel for Experimental Field Robotics Research with ROS 2},
author = {Thomas M. C. Sears and M. Riley Cooper and Sabrina R. Button and Joshua A. Marshall},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2404.05627},
year = {2024}
}
Comments
8 pages, 6 figures. Accepted to the IEEE ICRA Workshop on Field Robotics 2024