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When the results of research in the field of robotics are presented to the scientific community, the same question is asked repeatedly: Are the results really reproducible? Regarding benchmarking issues, some technological areas where complex mechatronic devices, such as robots, have a central role are very far from other research areas like physics or chemistry, to name but a few, where reproducibility is always mandatory. Aside from mechatronic complexities, the comparison between two different algorithms in the same conditions is influenced by the experimental validation scenario. In underwater environments, the difficulties for benchmarking characterization increase substantially. This is especially true when the test bed is the sea where uncertainty is high. It is the aim of this article to present a software tool which enables a comparison between two different algorithms when the algorithms are being used to solve the same problem in water tank conditions. This is a preliminary stage before the final validation on the seabed. The evaluated algorithms fall into the three-dimensional (3-D) image reconstruction context, as a prior step to their autonomous manipulation. Performance results are presented for both simulation and real water tank conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A new underwater robot arm was developed through intensive cooperation between different academic institutions and an industrial company. The manipulator, which was initially designed to be teleoperated, was adapted for our autonomy needs. Its dimensions and weight were reduced, and its kinematic model was developed so that autonomous control can be performed with it. We compare several commercially available underwater manipulators and describe the development of the new one, from its initial configuration to its mechanical adaptation, modeling, control, and final assembly on an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). The feasibility and reliability of this arm is demonstrated in water tank conditions, where various innovative autonomous object-recovery operations are successfully performed, both in stand-alone operation and integrated in an AUV prototype. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]