Robotic simulation is a type of simulation that helps developers create physical robots without
physical limitations such as resources, machines, space, and so on.
In this way, robotic simulation saves a lot of time and money because it allows people to test how robots work without huge investments.
Developers and designers use these simulations to test concepts, processes and use machine learning to teach robots how to interact in real-world environments.
Real-world resources like robots are limited. That's why people turn to robotic simulations where you can test an unlimited number of robots.
Benefits of Robotic Simulation
As a business grows, there will come a limit as to how much humans can do for it.
These limits are very clearly visible in manufacturing industries, where robots can sometimes be as five times as fast as humans.
Robots also tend to perform better than humans at mundane tasks because they are very precise by nature, and they don't get tired of repetitive work.
#1: Create The Perfect Process
If you're looking to scale your manufacturing business, you will need to implement robots sooner or later.
And since every environment is different, you need to use robotic simulations to see what concept works best for you.
With Robotic Simulation, you're able to virtually test an endless amount of environments and robots, which helps you pick the perfect one before implementing it in your business.
#2: Use Machine Learning To Teach Robots Complex Tasks
As mentioned before, there aren't one-size-fits-all solutions.
Robotic systems are very complex, and what your robots need to do will differ from your competitors.
There are many challenges in applying robot-based automation in highly individualized environments. That's why many developers turn to machine learning to face these challenges.
This is one of the reasons we've turned to game engines and developed our simulation system Zero SIM with Unity.
Using game engines, it's much easier to create and simulate 3d environments and have our robotic systems adapt to unique environments.
Think it of as Gazebo meets Unity.
If you'd like to learn more and test our robotic simulation software Zero SIM. Click here and apply for the beta.
#3: Make Better Investments
Robotic simulation helps you save thousands of dollars by fleshing out all of the potential flaws your system has.
It ensures that your robots won't accidentally destroy your materials or, even worse, hurt your workers.
The end result should match the robotic simulation exactly, and if you've developed the right simulation, it should go as smooth as butter.
That's why we're focused on creating realistic 3D environments that help you test like you would in the real world.
#4: Spare The Hardware
If you're dealing with super expensive robots, mistakes tend to be very expensive too.
You don't want your robot to be wearing out your parts either.
Even if you do everything correctly, you will still need to service the robot much earlier if you're constantly testing it physically while developing it.
#5: Endless Scale
Even though physical space is limited, in a simulation, no such limits exist.
You can easily test 100, 300, 500, or even more than 1000 robots at a time. This endeavor would be almost impossible without a simulation unless you have access to an unlimited amount of money.
What industries should be using robotic simulation?
Short answer: Any industries working in robotics.
Long answer. Whenever a robot needs perception, you need to test its perception skills in a robotic simulation.
If your robot incorporates artificial intelligence in any way, you need to use robotic simulation to test and teach it how to do complex tasks.
Here are some example industries that can use robotic simulation:
- Agriculture: Robots that detect weeds and do precise targeting of weeds.
- Hospitals: Hospitals around the world could use help with sanitization these days. Unlike humans, Robots could easily sanitize the rooms without the fear of being exposed to the virus.
- Warehouses: Test various types of robots and scenarios to see which one helps you produce the best results.
- Elderly Care: From disposing of medication to tending to their daily needs. You could use robots as a way to care for those who gave us the most.
- Virtual Reality: Test human interaction with robots in a virtual environment. It helps all industries where people will interact with humans.
Advice For Anyone Looking To Use Robotic Simulation For Their Business?
When you're starting out with robotic simulation, you don't want to hire an in-house team of artists and designers.
More often than not, these developers don't have as much experience or knowledge as outside contractors within the field of robotics.
If development, design and environment creation aren’t your specialty, it's better to outsource this part of the process.
And the best part is that outsourcing tends to be much cheaper than hiring a team.
But if you go down the route of creating robotic systems yourself, make sure that you're familiar with ROS (Robotic Operating System).
The big thing about robotic simulation is that it's mostly focused on the visual aspect of it.
However, there are a lot of other ways that robots can sense the world.
Sometimes sensors like LIDAR tend to be a lot more reliable than visual input.
LIDAR is a method for measuring distances by illuminating the target with a laser light and measuring the reflection with a sensor.
Touch sensors are amazing as well, yet often unfocused part of robotics. These sensors allow robots to determine the size, shape, and texture of an object, which is incredibly useful when dealing with robots that operate on complex tasks.
High visual fidelity things are great for showing off, but you're going to build much better robots if you put focus and effort into other sensors as well.
How Long Does It Take To Do Machine Learning With Robotic Simulation?
This is a subject that is prone to much discussion.
The length of a project depends on the complexity of it. As mentioned above, not all robots and robotic systems are made equal.
In our experience, it takes us an average of 3 months to build a Robot using machine learning combined with robotic simulations.
How Do We Use Robotic Simulation?
At Robotic Simulation Services, we're focused on providing top-notch robotic services for clients.
We develop a simulation from scratch in Unity, create the environments, import, and rig robots.
For example: If you only have a robot arm file, once you import it into Unity, You need to define physics, add motors, add joints and so on.
We provide all of these services to our clients.
If you're a developer, you can do everything we do with our Zero SIM software.
Final Thoughts
Robots have helped thousands of businesses scale their operations and their businesses.
What's important is that you test out your ideas in a simulated environment before going out and spending thousands of dollars on building these robots.
Do you currently use robots in your business? What tasks do they do?
Let us know in the comments below.