An off-line robot simulation toolbox

Robotics has gained popularity in education so many engineering schools are offering robotics courses. In this study, a novel robot toolbox, ‘‘ROBOLAB’’ is developed for the educational users to improve the understanding of robotics fundamentals through interactive real-time simulation. To understand manipulator movement in 3-D space with increasing number of joints is very difficult for engineering students; because the mathematical model between joint space and physical space becomes more complex. In order to overcome this complexity, ROBOLAB based on MATLAB Graphical User Interface (GUI) includes a library for the 16 different 6 degree of freedom (6-DOF) fundamental serial robot manipulators. The user has option to view an animation of the robot manipulators with choosing one of them or to create own GUIs based on robot project. ROBOLAB provides valuable analysis tools to students and engineering professionals in which they can compute rotation and transformation matrix, forward and inverse kinematics, and trajectory planning. Additionally, it allows user to use powerful MATLAB features such as controlling over data and formatting. In order to illustrate the features of ROBOLAB, RS cylindrical robot manipulator is given here as an example. Usage of real industrial robots in laboratory may be a very expensive way to teach robotics courses. ROBOLAB may help students to accomplish the courses and projects involving robots with minimum cost and to see 3-D space robot applications more effectively. 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 18: 41 52, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com); DOI 10.1002/cae.20236