High-level robot programming based on CAD: dealing with unpredictable environments

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a CAD-based human-robot interface that allows non-expert users to teach a robot in a manner similar to that used by humans to teach each other. Another important issue addressed here has to do with how robots deal with uncertainty. Design/methodology/approach – Intuitive robot programming is achieved by using CAD drawings to generate robot programs off-line. Sensory feedback allows minimization of the effects of uncertainty, providing information to adjust the robot paths during robot operation. Findings – It was found that it is possible to generate a robot program from a common CAD drawing and run it without any major concerns about calibration or CAD model accuracy. Research limitations/implications – A limitation of the proposed system has to do with the fact that it was designed to be used for particular technological applications. Practical implications – Since today most of the manufacturing companies have CAD packages in their facilities, CAD-based robot programming may be a good option to program robots without the need for skilled robot programmers. Originality/value – A new CAD-based robot programming system is proposed. Robot programs are directly generated from a CAD drawing “running” on a commonly available 3D CAD package and not from a commercial computer aided robotics software, making it a simple CAD integrated solution. This is a low-cost and low-setup time system where no advanced robot programming skills are required to operate it.