On robotics news this month, RoboDK, a fast-growing software house, celebrates its 10th anniversary. The company offers robotic simulation and offline programming tools that simplify automation and support compatibility with a wide range of industrial robot brands and models. RoboDK has established itself as a trusted and versatile solution, attracting users from a variety of backgrounds in the robotics field.

Where Did it All Begin?

Industrial robots gained popularity in the 1980s as advancements in precision, programming capabilities, and affordability made them more accessible. As competition grew to meet market demands, robot manufacturers soon began offering offline programming options, enabled by computing (PCs) and graphics technologies. However, these brand-specific solutions only support products from the same manufacturer, forcing customers to choose between brand loyalty or juggling multiple systems.

It wasn’t until some two decades ago, robotic software providers began exploring ways to break brand-specific barriers. RoboDK’s CEO, Albert Nubiola, was among the pioneers in this effort. When RoboDK was founded in 2015, universal solutions for programming a wide range of robots were rare. The technical challenges and workload involved deterred many, with most solutions limited to only a few brands. In contrast, RoboDK now supports over 1,000 robots from 90 manufacturers and continues to expand its library.

Since its birth, RoboDK’s mission has been to provide affordable simulation & offline programming (OLP) solutions to all robotic users. A decade later, awareness of OLP and its advantages over the manual Teach Pendant method has greatly increased within the robotics community. Thanks to pioneers like RoboDK, users ranging from students and enthusiasts, to robot operators, automation integrators, and R&D engineers, can all experience the intuition and accessibility of robotic software, with or without an actual robot!

RoboDK’s Product Family

As its name (which stands for Robot Development Kit) suggests, RoboDK serves as a versatile platform for developing robotic programming tools. The core software is compatible with multiple operating systems, including Windows, Linux, macOS, Raspberry PI, Android, and iOS. In addition to its core features of simulation and programming, RoboDK’s expandability enables integration with an increasing range of robot models, mechanisms, post-processors, and ‘online’ drivers for direct interfacing with robot controllers. A variety of innovative products further extend RoboDK’s functionalities available to its users.

• RoboDK Desktop – This is the core product and a software package. Originally it was desktop only before being extended to Raspberry PI and mobile devices.
• RoboDK for Web – A cloud based solution. This is a simplified version of RoboDK desktop and enough for a quick proof of concept, and sharing projects with users who do not have access to RoboDK package.
• Robot Calibration – Improve a robot manipulator’s accuracy by up to tenfold with RoboDK’s kinematics calibration solution. This module is to be used with an accurate measurement device, such as a laser tracker.
• TwinTool – An automatic tool calibration solution which replaces the error sensitive manual process. It delivers significantly better results at a modest price point by utilising off-the-shelf linear sensors.
• TwinTrack – Based on RoboDK’s core features, TwinTrack further improves ease of programming by allowing hand guided path generation. This module can be used with off-the-shelf tracker devices.
• TwinBox – A compact solution for running and monitoring robots in production. TwinBox is designed for IPCs and microprocessors allowing real-time access from a web browser, anywhere in the world.
• Various Add-ins – RoboDK’s core comes with API in multiple languages, such as Python and C#. This allows both RoboDK and end users to transform good ideas into ‘Add-ins’. Check out the latest creations in RoboDK’s Add-in Marketplace.

RoboDK welcomes contributions from developers both internally and externally to expand its growing product family. More than just a robotic programming package, RoboDK has, in our opinion, evolved into an ecosystem of brand-agnostic tools for industrial robots.

The Future of Offline Programming Platform

Some of the most valuable assets of RoboDK have been the product’s flexibility and the company’s disruptive strategy. It has carved out a unique position in the market and is welcomed by tens of thousands of users.

A Platform for Everyone

RoboDK remains brand independent and aims to integrate as many software tools, and support as many hardware devices as possible.

• Students can use RoboDK to start learning robotics, from robot kinematics to manipulator singularities.
• Robot hobbyists can use RoboDK to model new mechanism designs and send commands to their controllers, thanks to RoboDK’s configurable tools.
• Robot programmers can use RoboDK to gain a better understanding of path planning and automated processes, and save hours or days when modifying or creating new programs.
• Robotic engineers can appreciate RoboDK’s variety of tools for simulating, planning, evaluating, programming, controlling robots and hardware, and many more.
• Budget holders can be shown RoboDK projects and get a more straight forward perception of any robotic production plant.
• By using RoboDK, robotic research projects don’t have to start from scratch. It’ll be a very useful tool to build creative ideas on.

From beginners to advanced robotic professionals, from start-ups to global enterprises, RoboDK has become the choice of many enthusiastic customers.

An AI-Ready Platform

The advancement of Artificial Intelligence is transforming industries. In robotics and automation, AI empowers innovations in areas like adaptive decision-making, motion planning, and autonomous control, enabling faster and more accurate processes. RoboDK is perfect for incorporating AI into robotic programming due to its reconfigurability and agility.

On a practical level, Python has been the go-to language for developing AI projects due to its simplicity and rich ecosystem. It has extensive libraries and frameworks for AI and machine learning. This works seamlessly with RoboDK’s Python API, so users can focus on solving AI problems rather than managing low-level technical details.

The future of robotics and automation is prosperous. RoboDK remains focused on empowering its audience by innovation and democratising the industry.