System Requirements¶

Hardware and software requirements for running AQUA Stack on your underwater vehicle.

Minimum Requirements¶

Compute Platform¶

Required Specifications: - CPU: ARM Cortex-A57 or Intel Core i5 (4 cores minimum) - RAM: 4GB minimum - Storage: 32GB (for OS, AQUA Stack, and data logging) - USB: 2x USB 3.0 ports (camera, peripherals) - Network: Ethernet or WiFi for configuration

Supported Platforms: - Raspberry Pi 4 (4GB or 8GB RAM) - NVIDIA Jetson Nano (4GB) - Intel NUC or similar x86 systems - Custom embedded Linux systems

Camera¶

Stereo Camera (Recommended): - Intel RealSense D435/D455 - ZED/ZED 2 Camera - Custom stereo camera with baseline >5cm

Monocular Camera (Basic): - Minimum: 640x480 @ 30fps - Recommended: 1280x720 @ 30fps - USB 3.0 or MIPI interface - Global shutter preferred

Camera Requirements: - Waterproof housing rated for target depth - Lens: FOV 70-90° horizontal - Auto-exposure capability - Fixed focus or good AF in water

Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU)¶

Minimum: - 6-DOF (3-axis accelerometer + 3-axis gyroscope) - Output rate: 100Hz minimum - I2C or SPI interface

Recommended: - 9-DOF (6-DOF + 3-axis magnetometer) - Output rate: 200Hz+ - Low drift: <1°/hour gyro bias - Examples: BMI088, ICM-20948, VectorNav VN-100

Depth Sensor¶

Required: - Pressure-based depth sensor - Resolution: 1cm or better - Range: Appropriate for operating depth - Examples: MS5837, BMP388, Keller 7LD

Vehicle Controller¶

ArduSub Autopilot: - Pixhawk 2.4.8 or newer - Pixhawk 4 (recommended) - Navigator (Blue Robotics) - Custom ArduSub-compatible controller

Interface: - MAVLink serial connection - Baud rate: 115200 or 921600 - USB or UART connection

Recommended Setup¶

High-Performance Configuration¶

Compute: - NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX or AGX Orin - 8GB+ RAM - 128GB+ NVMe SSD

Sensors: - Intel RealSense D455 (stereo + IMU) - VectorNav VN-200 (GPS/INS) - MS5837-30BA depth sensor - Teledyne Pathfinder DVL (optional)

This configuration provides: - Real-time SLAM at 30Hz - Advanced navigation features - Sensor fusion with DVL - Longer mission capability

Budget Configuration¶

Compute: - Raspberry Pi 4 (8GB) - 64GB microSD card

Sensors: - USB webcam (720p) - MPU6050 IMU - MS5837 depth sensor

This configuration provides: - Basic SLAM at 15Hz - Waypoint navigation - Limited to simpler environments

Software Requirements¶

Operating System¶

Supported: - Ubuntu 20.04 LTS (recommended for ROS Noetic) - Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (for ROS 2 Humble) - Debian 11 (Bullseye) - experimental

Not Supported: - Windows - macOS - Other Linux distributions

ROS Version¶

Required: - ROS Noetic (Ubuntu 20.04) - OR ROS 2 Humble (Ubuntu 22.04)

Note: Mixed ROS 1/2 not supported

Dependencies¶

Automatically Installed: - OpenCV 4.x - Eigen 3.3+ - Ceres Solver - g2o or GTSAM - MAVLink/MAVProxy

Storage Requirements: - Base installation: 2GB - SLAM maps: 100MB-1GB per mission - Data logs: 500MB-2GB per hour

Network Requirements¶

During Setup¶

Internet access required for: - Initial installation - License activation - Software updates - Map downloads (optional)

Bandwidth: - Initial install: ~1GB download - Updates: 100-500MB

During Operation¶

Not required - AQUA Stack operates fully offline

Optional (for remote monitoring): - Acoustic modem: 100-1000 bps - Tethered ethernet: 10+ Mbps - WiFi (surface only): 1+ Mbps

Power Requirements¶

Vehicle Power¶

Typical Consumption: | Component | Power | Notes | |-----------|-------|-------| | Companion Computer | 5-15W | Depends on CPU usage | | Camera | 2-5W | Higher for stereo | | IMU | <1W | Negligible | | DVL (if used) | 5-15W | Significant addition | | Total | 10-35W | Plus vehicle thrusters |

Battery Capacity Planning:

# Example: BlueROV2 Heavy
vehicle_thrusters = 100W  # Average
aqua_stack = 15W
total_power = 115W

battery_capacity = 18V * 15Ah = 270Wh
mission_time = 270Wh / 115W ≈ 2.3 hours

# With 20% safety margin:
safe_mission_time = 2.3 * 0.8 ≈ 1.8 hours

Power Supply¶

Voltage: - 12V or 16V (typical vehicle bus voltage) - 5V for Raspberry Pi (use DC-DC converter) - 12V or 19V for Jetson/NUC

Stability: - Voltage regulation required - Ripple: <100mV - Protection: Fuses or circuit breakers

Communication Requirements¶

MAVLink Connection¶

To ArduSub: - Serial: UART at 115200 baud minimum - USB: USB-to-Serial adapter - Network: UDP MAVLink (Companion/Onboard)

Latency: - Maximum: 100ms for stable control - Recommended: <50ms

Ground Station (Optional)¶

For Mission Planning: - QGroundControl or Mission Planner - Network connection to vehicle

Protocols: - MAVLink over: - Tether ethernet - WiFi (surface) - Acoustic modem (very limited)

Environmental Considerations¶

Operating Environment¶

Water Conditions: - Visibility: >1m for reliable SLAM - Turbidity: <10 NTU recommended - Lighting: Artificial lights required >10m depth - Temperature: -5°C to 35°C (component dependent)

Depth Rating: - Hardware must be rated for target depth - Pressure compensated or sealed housings - Test to 1.5x rated depth minimum

Storage and Transport¶

Temperature: - Storage: -20°C to 60°C - Operating: 0°C to 45°C

Humidity: - Non-operating: <90% RH non-condensing - Electronics in sealed housings during operation

Vehicle Requirements¶

Physical¶

Minimum Vehicle Size: - >5kg displacement (smaller may struggle with sensors) - Stable in water (positive buoyancy preferable) - Sufficient payload capacity

Mounting Space: - Companion computer: ~10x15x5cm - Camera: Forward-facing, clear view - IMU: Near vehicle center of mass - Avoid magnetic interference for compass

Vehicle Type¶

Compatible Vehicles: - ROVs (BlueROV2, etc.) - AUVs (custom builds) - USVs (surface vehicles) - limited functionality - Hybrid ROV/AUV systems

Not Suitable: - Micro-ROVs (<5kg) - High-speed vehicles (>2m/s) without DVL - Vehicles without stable hover capability

Licensing Requirements¶

Software License¶

AQUA Stack requires: - Valid commercial license key - License tied to hardware ID - Annual subscription or perpetual license

Academic/Research: - Educational licenses available - Contact sales@signalbotics.com

Support Requirements¶

Included with License: - Software updates for 1 year - Email support (48h response) - Access to documentation

Optional: - Premium support (24h response) - On-site installation assistance - Custom feature development

Verification Checklist¶

Before ordering/installing AQUA Stack, verify:

Compute platform meets minimum specs
Camera provides adequate resolution and frame rate
IMU available with required output rate
Depth sensor compatible with operating depth
ArduSub or compatible autopilot installed
Adequate power budget for mission duration
Operating environment suitable (visibility, depth)
Network access for installation
Valid license or intent to purchase

Performance Targets¶

With recommended hardware, expect:

Metric	Target	Notes
SLAM Update Rate	30Hz	Depends on CPU
Localization Accuracy	<1% distance	Good conditions
Control Loop	10Hz	Navigation commands
Mission Planning	<1s	For 100 waypoints
Max Mission Duration	Battery limited	1-8 hours typical
Max Operating Depth	Hardware limited	AQUA Stack: any depth

Upgrade Paths¶

From Minimum to Recommended¶

Priority 1: Better Compute - Raspberry Pi 4 → Jetson Nano - Benefit: 2-3x faster SLAM, enables advanced features

Priority 2: Stereo Camera - Monocular → Stereo (RealSense D435) - Benefit: Better depth perception, faster initialization

Priority 3: DVL Addition - SLAM only → SLAM + DVL - Benefit: Drift reduction from 2-5% to <0.5%

Priority 4: Better IMU - Basic 6-DOF → High-grade 9-DOF - Benefit: Better orientation, compass for navigation

Next Steps¶

Ready to install? → Installation Guide
Need hardware recommendations? → Contact sales@signalbotics.com
Custom requirements? → Contact support

FAQ¶

Q: Can I run AQUA Stack on Raspberry Pi 3? A: Not recommended. Pi 3 lacks sufficient CPU power for real-time SLAM.

Q: Does AQUA Stack work without a camera? A: No. Visual SLAM requires camera input. DVL-only mode is in development.

Q: Can I use a single-board computer other than Pi/Jetson? A: Yes, if it runs Ubuntu and meets CPU/RAM requirements. Contact support.

Q: What depth rating do I need for electronics? A: Match or exceed your target operating depth. AQUA Stack software has no depth limit.

Q: Do I need a DVL? A: No, but highly recommended for long missions (>30min) or poor visibility.