A Collaborative Framework for Learning Robot Mechanics: Rio –robotics Illustrative Software

1 Andrei Lobov, Tampere University of Technology, Institute of Production Engineering, P.O.Box 589, Tampere, 33101, Finland, [email protected] 2 Jose L. Martinez Lastra, Tampere University of Technology, Institute of Production Engineering, P.O.Box 589, Tampere, 33101, Finland, [email protected] 3 Reijo Tuokko, Tampere University of Technology, Institute of Production Engineering, P.O.Box 589, Tampere, 33101, Finland, [email protected] Abstract An educational software package called RIO (Robotics Illustrative sOftware) has been designed and developed in order to provide a web-based learning environment on the subject. RIO integrates the VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) model of the robot manipulator and a MatlabTM object representing the manipulator’s topology and dynamics parameters. The user interface consists of a Java applet displayed by the webbrowser along with VRML model. The applet provides a connection to the remote host running MatlabTM. A remote PC runs MJSMatlabTM Java Server, which is capable of intercommunicating with MatlabTM, and receives remote users connections. MatlabTM holds an object of the manipulator being studied, however the user is able to affect the MatlabTM object by means of Java applet GUI. Multisessions, involving several users, can be connected to the same MatlabTM object over the Internet simultaneously.