What is Gazebo simulation?
Gazebo is an open-source 3D robotics simulator. Gazebo simulated real-world physics in a high fidelity simulation.
It helps developers rapidly test algorithms and design robots in digital environments.
They've branded themselves as "robotic simulation made easy," but there are many tools out there that are much easier to use and help speed up the process.
Gazebo is currently the leader in robotic simulation, but other big companies like Unity and Nvidia are starting to catch up and create their robotic simulation software.
Robotics simulation is an ever-growing space. Companies are investing more and more money to improve their workflow through robotic simulation.
Robotic simulation saves a lot of time and money because it allows people to test how robots work without huge investments.
We have created our robotic simulation simulator using Unity's powerful game engine.
The great thing about Gazebo is that you can create a dynamic simulation using multiple high-performance physics engines like ODE, Simbody, Bullet, and DART.
It helps you replicate gravity, friction, torques, and any other real life conditions that could affect your simulation's success.
This is essential to your robotics development work. It would be terrible if you built a perfect robot that can't work without gravity.
Benefits Of Gazebo Simulation
Gazebo helps you integrate a multitude of sensors, and it gives you the tools to test these sensors and develop your robots to best use them.
Suppose you don't have access to robotic hardware or want to test hundreds of robots simultaneously. It's impossible without a robotic simulator like Gazebo.
Even if you have access to hardware, Gazebo is still a useful tool because it allows you to test your robotic design before implementing it in the real world. This is why companies are investing so much money into robotic simulators and digital twins. They want to increase their manufacturing processes' workflow and speed without spending too much money on hardware.
Since Gazebo is open-source software, there are also many 3rd party plugins and solutions that help you solve specific problems you might come across or speed up your workflow.
Gazebo is continuously updating, with their latest release being the Gazebo 11.
Drawbacks Of Gazebo Simulation
Gazebo doesn't have all the bells and whistles that a 3D Simulator like Nvidia Isaac or our ZeroSIM might have.
It's tough to import 3D models into Gazebo, and if you're not a 3D modeler, it might be difficult for you to find someone who can prepare the files for Gazebo.
If you're using more popular programs like Unity, it will be much easier to import these models and have more realistic testing environments.
You can ever re-create your entire warehouse in Unity.
Installing Gazebo is also a challenging task. Its windows installation has 18 steps in total, which will be difficult for someone who isn't a developer and is familiar with using code for installation.