Advances in Virtual Reality Techniques for Robot Simulation and Control

Subject of the research work of IPA Stuttgart was to evaluate the benefits of Virtual Reality for robot simulation and control systems. As shown for the example of robot simulation and control, the advantages of the new man-machine-interfaces in robot applications can be shown clearly. For demonstration purposes, a suitable Virtual Reality testbed was developed at IPA Stuttgart. The new interfaces between operator and robot simulation system and the real robot improve the interaction between man, computer and machine: Free path teaching of robots is possible off-line by means of advanced simulation. Additionally, free path definition of the real robots TCP parallel to the operators hand is possible even in real time (all 6 DOF). Spatial imagination in robot simulation is better than using conventional graphic screens, even if the visual perception is restricted by the low resolution of the stereo display. Virtual menues in the simulation were estimated to be a very convenient and userf riendly tool, providing the operator a high degree of interaction in the virtual world. An advanced rendering system ensures a certain rendering performance independent of the complexity of the CAD model, which is of importance for future Virtual Reality applications.