Surface robots and waves
The surface integration combines the upstream Wave Sim dependency, a WAM-V model and ArduRover boat-mode control. The standard POSIM installer and Docker recipes build the external wave libraries.
Build the WAM-V integration
The optional surface image uses the ARM64 base layout. From a POSIM checkout, first build posim:dev-arm64-rdp using Docker, then run:
docker build -f extras/surface/Dockerfile \
--build-arg POSIM_BASE_IMAGE=posim:dev-arm64-rdp -t posim:surface .
docker run --rm -it --entrypoint bash posim:surface -lc \
'source /opt/ros/lyrical/setup.bash; source /home/docker/posim_ws/install/setup.bash; ros2 launch /opt/posim-surface/wamv.launch.py headless:=true'
This image contains ArduSub and ArduRover as separate binaries. The single-vehicle example selects ArduRover's boat configuration (FRAME_CLASS=2). Separate vehicles need separate controller identities and network ports.
Model, controller and navigation
extras/surface/wamv.py reads the model from the external dependency and configures the integration. The two aft propellers are driven through outputs 1 and 3. The example starts at the sea surface.
The external-navigation adapter publishes simulated Gazebo pose and velocity to MAVROS. Check controller state, navigation validity and thruster direction before sending a mission.
Adjust waves
The surface world's wave-control topic is /world/wwos_gebco/waves, using gz.msgs.Param. The adjustable double-valued parameters are:
| Parameter | Unit | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
wind_speed |
m/s | Wave-model wind speed |
wind_angle |
degrees | Wind direction for the wave model |
steepness |
dimensionless | Wave steepness |
Keep visual and hydrodynamic settings consistent. A spectral wave model provides the surface motion; ocean currents are configured separately. Installing wave libraries makes their systems available; a world must still include and configure those systems.
Operating limits
The optional Dockerfile supports the ARM64 base layout. Hull, propulsion and drag parameters need calibration for the vessel and operating conditions. MAVROS and Gazebo can require supervisor termination during shutdown; ensure both processes exit before starting another session.
Dependency maintenance
The revision is pinned in extras/surface/dependency.json. The installer fetches upstream source and builds libraries under /opt/waves, retaining source under /opt/asv_wave_sim. This is a build dependency, rather than a Git submodule.
See the surface integration source guide for build details and licenses for component attribution.