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Software-only prototyping - feasible?

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mviljamaa:
I was wondering whether anyone understands and could describe the limitations or as well the possibilities of robotics simulations to a beginner. How useful is simulation and "how far" can one reason (particularly about mechanics and control) with just simulations (i.e. no actual hardware involved at all)? Any examples of software or toolsets (involving many different software) that enable very high level of flexibility for a robot's design phase? What are the drawbacks of simulation (is it slow? inaccurate?)?

newInRobotics:
Simulation is neither slow or inaccurate, it is much faster and cheaper than physical build, hence people do them to save time, money and to detect mistakes/errors while still in design phase. Separate simulations are done for separate disciplines involved in robot building (simulations of signal acquisition and processing, simulations of closed/open loop response and control, simulations of parts' rigidity/flexibility, simulations of manufacturing processes, etc.), as opposed to one-off all-in-one simulation covering every aspect of the robot.

For control simulations You probably want to get something like MATLAB, as for mechanics simulation - something like Inventor, SolidWorks or CATIA.

Main drawback of simulations is that they are perfectly precise and never-changing. This fact forces engineers to make decisions based on real-world experience, as real-world is always-changing and no 2 grains of sand (or anything else) are identical.

Also, another drawback is that CAD related simulations normally require some hard-core computers to run (at JLR, for manufacturing simulations we use 3.1GHz 12 CPU, 50GB of RAM, NVIDIA Quadro 5000 beasts).

mviljamaa:

--- Quote from: newInRobotics on June 26, 2013, 12:50:15 AM ---Simulation is neither slow or inaccurate, it is much faster and cheaper than physical build, hence people do them to save time, money and to detect mistakes/errors while still in design phase. Separate simulations are done for separate disciplines involved in robot building (simulations of signal acquisition and processing, simulations of closed/open loop response and control, simulations of parts' rigidity/flexibility, simulations of manufacturing processes, etc.), as opposed to one-off all-in-one simulation covering every aspect of the robot.

For control simulations You probably want to get something like MATLAB, as for mechanics simulation - something like Inventor, SolidWorks or CATIA.

Main drawback of simulations is that they are perfectly precise and never-changing.

--- End quote ---

Thank you for your answer.

So this means that software-only prototyping for robot systems and their parts is in general very feasible? What I've been mostly concerned about has been the mechanics simulation, because as you say the virtual environment and the real environment can differ and usually differ a lot (particularly outdoors).

It's interesting how the process continues from the simulations to real-world tests though and it's something that I would like to know more about. I might be asking a common question, but what are some resources e.g. books that might provide insight to the software-based prototyping and how it through iterations leads to an actual physical robot or at least the specifications for a physical robot?

newInRobotics:
It would be a lot easier to answer Your questions if You told us what exactly You want to simulate, as simulation of mechanics is quite broad.

mviljamaa:

--- Quote from: newInRobotics on June 26, 2013, 06:15:44 AM ---It would be a lot easier to answer Your questions if You told us what exactly You want to simulate, as simulation of mechanics is quite broad.

--- End quote ---

Well I'm looking to virtually prototype the structure/mechanics and movement for a low-speed outdoor robot (for a computer vision application) that would move in a rough terrain and I'm specifically trying to find the cheapest and simplest design for it to be functional (in the rough terrain) prior to even looking for specific parts or materials.

What I'm unsure about is the leap between the simulations and the "real deal" and how simulations can be or should be used to predict the known conditions (the rough terrain), which is why I made this thread to consult about the "general feasibility" and accuracy of simulation. I'm also curious about the software packages that lessen the need to reinvent the wheel (e.g. by including or being able to import existing parts) + I'm specifically interested in using open source software.

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