DEVELOPING A ROBOTICS SIMULATOR FOR INDUSTRIAL ROBOT OPERATOR TRAINING

This paper focuses on a special handler simulator development for primary robotics skills training designed for high school, college and university students and other trainees. The key advantages of this new solution are low costs, simple maintenance, safety and wide function extension options. The simulator is capable acquisition and handling various items like parts, blank parts and tools. Replacing the gripper with a special tool enables welding and painting operations simulation. Moscow State University of Technology STANKIN is carrying out the simulator development. At this point, there are finished prototypes of the handler, the control system based on the MIPS M4K core microcontroller and the basic simulation software. The prototype improvement is going on. The developed sample showed itself useful as lab equipment for applied robotics courses. Currently the new simulator outmatches most of the existing solutions. Considering costs and extension options, it has no direct analogues.