OpenUAV Cloud Testbed: a Collaborative Design Studio for Field Robotics

TL;DR

OpenUAV is an open-source, web-based cloud testbed that simplifies robotics simulation setup, enhances reproducibility, and supports photorealistic environments for education and research, addressing key challenges in virtual robotics collaboration.

Contribution

The paper introduces OpenUAV, a cloud platform that streamlines robotics simulation, ensures reproducibility, and enables photorealistic virtual environments for research and education.

Findings

Enables easy access to robotics simulations via web browsers.

Supports reproducibility of research work with dependency management.

Provides photorealistic simulation capabilities using Unity and Gazebo.

Abstract

Simulations play a crucial role in robotics research and education. This paper presents the OpenUAV testbed, an open-source, easy-to-use, web-based, and reproducible software system that enables students and researchers to run robotic simulations on the cloud. We have built upon our previous work and have addressed some of the educational and research challenges associated with the prior work. The critical contributions of the paper to the robotics and automation community are threefold: First, OpenUAV saves students and researchers from tedious and complicated software setups by providing web-browser-based Linux desktop sessions with standard robotics software like Gazebo, ROS, and flight autonomy stack. Second, a method for saving an individual's research work with its dependencies for the work's future reproducibility. Third, the platform provides a mechanism to support photorealistic robotics simulations by combining Unity game engine-based camera rendering and Gazebo physics. The paper addresses a research need for photorealistic simulations and describes a methodology for creating a photorealistic aquatic simulation. We also present the various academic and research use-cases of this platform to improve robotics education and research, especially during times like the COVID-19 pandemic, when virtual collaboration is necessary.