Low-cost Multi-agent Fleet for Acoustic Cooperative Localization Research

Nelson Durrant; Braden Meyers; Matthew McMurray; Clayton Smith; Brighton Anderson; Tristan Hodgins; Kalliyan Velasco; Joshua G. Mangelson

arXiv · 2511.08822

Low-cost Multi-agent Fleet for Acoustic Cooperative Localization Research

Nelson Durrant·Braden Meyers·Matthew McMurray·Clayton Smith·Brighton Anderson·Tristan Hodgins·Kalliyan Velasco·Joshua G. Mangelson

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Abstract

Real-world underwater testing for multi-agent autonomy presents substantial financial and engineering challenges. In this work, we introduce the Configurable Underwater Group of Autonomous Robots (CoUGARs) as a low-cost, configurable autonomous-underwater-vehicle (AUV) platform for multi-agent autonomy research. The base design costs less than $3,000 USD (as of May 2025) and is based on commercially-available and 3D-printed parts, enabling quick customization for various sensor payloads and configurations. Our current expanded model is equipped with a doppler velocity log (DVL) and ultra-short-baseline (USBL) acoustic array/transducer to support research on acoustic-based cooperative localization. State estimation, navigation, and acoustic communications software has been developed and deployed using a containerized software stack and is tightly integrated with the HoloOcean simulator. The system was tested both in simulation and via in-situ field trials in Utah lakes and reservoirs.

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Nelson Durrant, Braden Meyers, Matthew McMurray, Clayton Smith, Brighton Anderson, Tristan Hodgins, Kalliyan Velasco, Joshua G. Mangelson. 2025-11-11. Low-cost Multi-agent Fleet for Acoustic Cooperative Localization Research. https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.08822

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