In order to improve the situational awareness in underground missions, the US Army's Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory (CCDC ARL) has released a software suite that simulates subterranean conditions and trains robots in this type of environment.
The software can facilitate the development of robots to exploit and solve problems in underground scenarios. It is open-source and is available for researchers to virtually test new capabilities and techniques of robotic systems.
CCDC ARL research scientist John Rogers explained to Shephard that, in future, robots may be able to provide maps of tunnels, caves and mines, to identify