HERCULES: An Open-Source Simulation Framework for Heterogeneous Multi-Robot SLAM, Collaborative Perception, and Exploration
We present HERCULES, an open-source simulator and data-collection pipeline for heterogeneous multi-robot autonomy. Built upon the Unreal Engine 5 (UE5)-based simulators AirSim and Cosys-AirSim, HERCULES resolves key architectural limitations of prior frameworks to enable concurrent unmanned aerial and ground vehicle (UAV-UGV) operation in large-scale, photorealistic, dynamic environments. It introduces a new waypoint-tracking UGV controller that mirrors existing UAV control interfaces, and provides a shared navigation stack for mapping, traversability analysis, planning, and control across heterogeneous platforms. Expanding inherited sensor suites, it adds physics-based long-wave infrared...
| Authors | Sandilya Sai Garimella, Daniel Chase Butterfield, Sean Wilson et al. |
|---|---|
| Primary category | cs.RO |
| Published | 22 June 2026 |
| Last updated at source | 22 June 2026 |
Models and datasets referencing this paper
- GeorgiaTech/HERCULESDataset
Silytics shows public metadata from arXiv and links to the original. Information may be incomplete or out of date. Last refreshed 17 October 2026. Licenses and terms of the original apply to the work itself. Not financial, legal or professional advice.