Virtual SCARA Robot with Reduced Dynamics in a Real-Time Simulation Scheme for Robotics and Control Engineering Education

Abstract

Industry 4.0 has imposed new challenges and oppor-tunities to engineering education in robotics and control systems. The concept of the digital twin can be partially implemented with the use of virtual robots that incorporate 3D models and numerical simulations of the dynamical behaviour. This work presents the development of a virtual 3D SCARA robot which requires an external controller for the joint and kinematic motion control, this was implemented as a tool for teaching and learning robotics and control. The virtual 3D robot incorporates a novel numerical simulation that combines the Newton-Euler dynamic equations with the Rayleigh energy dissipation equation to consider the viscous friction. The developed virtual robot can be implemented in a real time simulation scheme connected to an external controller and used as an educational tool in a virtual robotics laboratory.