Improving Sonar Sensor Fidelity in a Robot Simulator.

It is slow and expensive to develop robot control systems using real robots. Simulation can provide the benefits of lowering the time and cost. In order to take advantage of the benefits of development in a simulator we need high fidelity representations of actual sensors. Sensors do not provide perfect data and simulations that use either perfect models or models that are too simple will not translate well into the real world. This research introduces a sensor model that overcomes some of the existing limitations in current simulations and provides a methodology for developing both new models and corresponding testing regimes. An actual sensor is used in realistic situations to create authentic models that more closely match the performance of the robot in the real world. A simple sonar sensor is tested against three generic obstacles and a realistic software simulation model of its capabilities is created. The Simbad robot simulator is modified to use this model, a testing regime is created to validate the results, and improved performance over the existing model is achieved. --Leaf iii.