HoloOcean: Realistic Sonar Simulation

Abstract

Sonar sensors play an integral part in underwater robotic perception by providing imagery at long distances where standard optical cameras cannot. They have proven to be an important part in various robotic algorithms including localization, mapping, and structure from motion. Unfortunately, generating realistic sonar imagery for algorithm development is difficult due to the high cost of field trials and lack of simulation methods. To remove these obstacles, we present various upgrades to the sonar simulation method in HoloOcean, our open-source marine robotics simulator. In particular, we improve the noise modeling using a novel cluster-based multipath ray-tracing algorithm, various probabilistic noise models, and material dependence. We also develop and integrate simulated models for side-scan, single-beam, and multibeam profiling sonars.