Enabling Generic Robot Skill Implementation Using Object Oriented Programming

Abstract

Developing robotic algorithms and integrating a robotic subsystem into a larger system can be a difficult task. Particularly in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) where robotics expertise is lacking, implementing, maintaining and developing robotic systems can be a challenge. As a result, many companies rely on external expertise through system integrators, which, in some cases, can lead to vendor lock-in and external dependency. In the academic research on intelligent manufacturing systems, robots play a critical role in the design of robust autonomous systems. Similar challenges are faced by researchers who want to use robotic systems as a component in a larger smart system, without having to deal with the complexity and vastness of the robot interfaces in detail. In this paper, we propose a software framework that reduces the effort required to deploy a working robotic system. The focus is solely on providing a concept for simplifying the different interfaces of a modern robot system and using an abstraction layer for different manufacturers and models. The Python programming language is used to implement a prototype of the concept. The target system is a bin-picking cell containing a Yaskawa Motoman GP4.