Autonomous underwater robots typically require higher cost and time for demonstrations compared to other domains due to the complexity of the environment. Due to the limited capacity and payload flexibility, it is challenging to find off-the-shelf underwater robots that are affordable, customizable, and subject to environmental variability. Custom-built underwater robots may be necessary for specialized applications or missions, but the process can be more costly and time-consuming than purchasing an off-the-shelf autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). To address these challenges, we propose a modular underwater robot, Modularis, that can serve as an open-source testbed system. Our proposed system expedites the testing of perception, planning, and control algorithms.

翻译：自主水下机器人在实际验证中通常需要比其它领域更高的成本和时间投入，这源于水下环境的复杂性。受限于有限的有效载荷能力和灵活性，难以找到兼具经济性、可定制性且能适应环境变化的现成水下机器人。特种应用或任务可能需要定制化水下机器人，但研发过程往往比直接采购现成自主水下航行器（AUV）更加昂贵和耗时。针对这些挑战，我们提出模块化水下机器人Modularis，该平台可作为开源测试床系统。所提系统能够加速感知、规划与控制算法的测试验证流程。