TUTORIAL 8 INTRO: Rapid Integration Loop via Simulation: Underwater Docking
This demonstration presents a rapid integration framework for developing and deploying autonomous underwater docking behaviors. Participants will write and test control code in a high-fidelity simulator replicating subsea conditions such as currents and sensor noise. The simulator shares the same software interfaces as the real robot, enabling seamless transfer of the developed code to a physical underwater vehicle. After completing simulation trials, participants will deploy their code on an actual robot performing autonomous docking in a test pool. This workflow highlights how tightly coupled simulation and real-world systems can accelerate development cycles, reduce risk, and facilitate reproducible validation of underwater autonomy algorithms. This work was carried out within the research activities of the NTNU and in the scope of the projects “CLIMAREST” and “CAROS”.