Simulation of Articulated Robots for Virtual Prototyping in Dynamic 3D Environments

Abstract

This paper deals with the simulation of a dynamical system in which the motion of each rigid robot is subject to the influence of virtual forces induced by geometric constraints. These constraints may impose joint connectivity and angle limits for articulated robots, spatial relationships between multiple collaborative robots, or have a robot follow an estimated path to perform certain tasks in a cycle. In this paper, the authors give a brief overview of a general simulation framework, describing the primary tasks that a simulator needs to implement. The robot behavioral simulation in the virtual environment enables us to predict the behavior of a given real manipulator in a real environment.