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A robotics simulator is a simulator used to create an application for a physical robot without depending on the physical machine, thus saving cost and time. In some case, such applications can be transferred onto a physical robot (or rebuilt) without modification.

The term robotics simulator can refer to several different robotics simulation applications. For example, in mobile robotics applications, behavior-based robotics simulators allow users to create simple worlds of rigid objects and light sources and to program robots to interact with these worlds. Behavior-based simulation allows for actions that are more biotic in nature when compared to simulators that are more binary, or computational. Also, behavior-based simulators may learn from mistakes and can demonstrate the anthropomorphic quality of tenacity.

One of the most popular applications for robotics simulators is for 3D modeling and rendering of a robot and its environment. This type of robotics software has a simulator that is a virtual robot, which can emulate the motion of a physical robot in a real work envelope. Some robotics simulators use a physics engine for more realistic motion generation of the robot. The use of a robotics simulator to develop a robotics control program is highly recommended regardless of whether a physical robot is available or not. The simulator allows for robotics programs to be conveniently written and debugged off-line with the final version of the program tested on a physical robot. This applies mainly to industrial robotic applications, since the success of off-line programming depends on how similar the physical environment of a robot is to a simulated environment.

Sensor-based robot actions are much more difficult to simulate and/or to program off-line, since the robot motion depends on instantaneous sensor readings in the real world.

Features

Modern simulators tend to provide the following features:

• Fast robot prototyping:
  • Using the own simulator as creation tool
  • Using external tools
• Physics engines for realistic movements: Most simulators use Bullet, ODE or PhysX.
• Realistic 3d rendering: Standard 3d modeling tools or third-party tools can be used to build the environments.
• Dynamic robot bodies with scripting: C, C++, Perl, Python, Java, URBI, and MATLAB languages used by Webots; C++ used by Gazebo.

Simulators

Among the newest technologies available today for programming are those which use a virtual simulation. Simulations with the use of virtual models of the working environment and the robots themselves can offer advantages to both the company and programmer. By using a simulation, costs are reduced, and robots can be programmed off-line which eliminates any down-time for an assembly line. Robot actions and assembly parts can be visualized in a three-dimensional virtual environment months before prototypes are even produced. Writing code for a simulation is also easier than writing code for a physical robot. While the move toward virtual simulations for programming robots is a step forward in user interface design, many such applications are only in their infancy.

General information

Technical information

Infrastructure

Support

Code quality

Features

Robot families

Supported actuators

Supported sensors

References

1. OSRF. "SDF". sdformat.org. Retrieved 2019-04-27.
2. "urdf - ROS Wiki". wiki.ros.org. Retrieved 2017-10-06.
3. "RoboDK API". GitHub. 22 October 2021.
4. "RoboDK Plug-In Interface". GitHub. 16 October 2021.
5. However, requires a connection on an X server for 3D rendering
6. "Gazebo Community". Retrieved 2019-04-27.
7. "Gazebo API". Gazebo Community. Retrieved 2019-04-27.
8. "Gazebo Answers". Gazebo Community. Retrieved 2019-04-27.
9. "Gazebo Tutorials". Gazebo Community. Retrieved 2019-04-27.
10. "Gazebo Issue Tracker". Gazebo Community. Retrieved 2019-04-27.
11. RoboDK mailing list
12. RoboDK API Documentation
13. RoboDK Forum
14. RoboDK Documentation
15. RoboDK Bug tracker
16. SimSpark mailing lists
17. "SimSpark client protocols". Archived from the original on 2016-02-25. Retrieved 2015-04-08.
18. "SimSpark user manual (Wiki)". Archived from the original on 2015-02-25. Retrieved 2015-04-08.
19. SimSpark Tracker
20. SimSpark Wiki
21. Webots Reference Manual
22. "Discussions · cyberbotics/Webots". GitHub.
23. Webots User Guide
24. Webots issues on GitHub
25. Webots technical wiki on GitHub
26. Webots Discord channel
27. OpenRAVE mailing list
28. OpenRAVE API
29. ^ OpenRAVE Issue Tracker
30. OpenRAVE User Guide
31. OpenRAVE Wiki
32. CoppeliaSim API
33. Coppelia Robotics Forum
34. CoppeliaSim User Manual
35. Coppelia Robotics bug reports
36. ^ OSRF. "Gazebo". gazebosim.org. Retrieved 2019-04-27.
37. CppCheck
38. Clang Format
39. Unit tests
40. API tests
41. Webots master
42. Webots develop
43. Source
44. OSRF. "Gazebo : Tutorial : Beginner: Model Editor". gazebosim.org. Retrieved 2019-04-27.
45. OSRF. "Gazebo : Tutorial : Aerodynamics". gazebosim.org. Retrieved 2019-04-27.
46. OSRF. "Gazebo : Tutorial : Hydrodynamics". gazebosim.org. Retrieved 2019-04-27.
47. OSRF. "Gazebo : ARIAC". gazebosim.org. Retrieved 2019-04-27.
48. OSRF. "Gazebo : HAPTIX". gazebosim.org. Retrieved 2019-04-27.
49. "DARPA's legacy: Open source simulation for robotics development and testing". Robohub.org. Retrieved 2019-04-27.
50. OSRF. "Gazebo : Tutorial : Make an animated model (actor)". gazebosim.org. Retrieved 2019-04-27.
51. ^ RoboDK robot library
52. including Salamander robot
53. including Nao, DARwIn-OP, Fujitsu HOAP2, Kondo KHR-2HV, KHR-3, etc.
54. Webots robot models
55. CoppeliaSim main features
56. OpenRAVE Closed chains
57. OpenRAVE Dual-arm example
58. OSRF. "Gazebo : Tutorial : Contact Sensor". gazebosim.org. Retrieved 2019-04-27.
59. OSRF. "Gazebo : Tutorial : Camera Distortion". gazebosim.org. Retrieved 2019-04-27.
60. ^ OSRF. "Gazebo : Tutorial : Intermediate: Velodyne". gazebosim.org. Retrieved 2019-04-27.
61. Collision detection uses a simplified model
62. Possible, no model for noise

v t e Robotics
Main articles	Outline Glossary Index History Geography Hall of Fame Ethics Laws Competitions AI competitions
Types	Aerobot Anthropomorphic Humanoid Android Cyborg Gynoid Claytronics Companion Automaton Animatronic Audio-Animatronics Industrial Articulated arm Domestic Educational Entertainment Juggling Military Medical Service Disability Agricultural Food service Retail BEAM robotics Soft robotics
Classifications	Biorobotics Cloud robotics Continuum robot Unmanned vehicle aerial ground Mobile robot Microbotics Nanorobotics Necrobotics Robotic spacecraft Space probe Swarm Telerobotics Underwater remotely-operated Robotic fish
Locomotion	Tracks Walking Hexapod Climbing Electric unicycle Robotic fins
Navigation and mapping	Motion planning Simultaneous localization and mapping Visual odometry Vision-guided robot systems
Research	Evolutionary Kits Simulator Suite Open-source Software Adaptable Developmental Human–robot interaction Paradigms Perceptual Situated Ubiquitous
Companies	Amazon Robotics Anybots Barrett Technology Boston Dynamics Energid Technologies FarmWise FANUC Figure AI Foster-Miller Harvest Automation Honeybee Robotics Intuitive Surgical IRobot KUKA Starship Technologies Symbotic Universal Robotics Wolf Robotics Yaskawa
Related	Critique of work Powered exoskeleton Workplace robotics safety Robotic tech vest Technological unemployment Terrainability Fictional robots
Category Outline

• Robotics suites