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A screenshot of the SwRI Workbench for Offline Robotics Improvement (SWORD) toolkit.
Ease of use continues to be an ongoing problem for robotics builders and customers. And the Southwest Analysis Institute (SwRI) is trying to do its half with a brand new toolkit that goals to simplify programming robots.
The SwRI Workbench for Offline Robotics Improvement (SWORD) embeds computer-aided design (CAD) into robotics movement planning, modeling and execution. And SwRI mentioned it incorporates a graphical interface to demystify the basic coding required in robotic working system (ROS) software improvement.
Knowledgeable by the Institute’s position in supporting the ROS-Industrial group, SwRI developed SWORD so manufacturing engineers can leverage CAD information to unlock extra complicated capabilities inside the ROS codebase.
SwRI manages the ROS-Industrial Americas Consortium and helps ROS-I software program repositories, executing coaching and developer occasions. SwRI mentioned SWORD is a plugin for FreeCAD that integrates robotics capabilities into a well-recognized, cross-platform atmosphere.
“The standard ROS workflow is programming-intense, requiring builders to be deeply conversant in obtainable ROS libraries and instruments. Even skilled ROS builders can spend important time on preliminary setup and configuration,” mentioned Matt Robinson, a SwRI engineer who manages the ROS-Industrial Americas Consortium. “We listened to ROS specialists and consortium members to develop SWORD to offer simpler entry to the ROS motion-planning instruments, whereas sticking to a CAD-based atmosphere that non-developers are conversant in.”
SWORD incorporates a graphical toolkit for organising movement planning environments and collision geometries. It might additionally take a look at superior robotic motion-planning purposes.
SwRI mentioned it offers a graphical interface to many highly effective motion-planning libraries. The objective is to adapt ROS for manufacturing and industrial audiences in a method that’s extra approachable in a well-recognized atmosphere.
“SWORD is designed for each robotics builders and manufacturing engineers conversant in CAD processes and packages on process-oriented techniques,” mentioned Jeremy Zoss, an SwRI engineer who helped to develop the software program. “SWORD brings superior motion-planning functionality to this viewers, permitting them to make the most of these superior instruments of their operational environments.”
SWORD options embrace:
- Environmental modeling: create or import a CAD mannequin of your robotic, together with fixtures and end-of-arm-tooling. Manipulate and management the robotic mannequin utilizing joint sliders and simulate device motion with a dragger to guage and calculate joint configurations.
- Robotic manipulation and planning: generate movement plans utilizing industrial path planners, creating customized pipelines for application-specific conduct whereas predicting and avoiding collisions.
- Customized planning pipeline: outline robotic movement utilizing both coordinate-based or joint waypoints, specifying completely different motion phase varieties and movement teams whereas inserting supplementary instructions.
SWORD is formally launched and seats can be found. A trial model can also be obtainable upon request. To see an illustration of ROS Might 6-9 at Automate, go to SwRI at sales space No. 3543.