VIPER: A Virtual Platform to Experience Robots

Abstract

We present a virtual reality (VR)-based learning platform that allows the exploration and experimentation with industrial colloborative robot manipulators. Students can immersive themselves into virtual scenarios with robots’ that are otherwise difficult to realize in physical classroom environments. Behavior and functionality can be explored comprehensively. For this purpose, the VR learning application is equipped with a variety of interaction mechanics that enable the portrayal of a range of different tasks. A network integration allows for multiple users to be present in the virtual environment simultaneously. Additionally the VR application contains a library of different industrial robots that can either act autonomously controlled by machine learning agents or be controlled based on the kinematics-based simulation. The application is specifically designed to serve as a learning tool that can be iteratively extended to fit the requirements of different robotics-related courses.