computer science

RoboDK

RoboDK is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand RoboDK rather than just read about it. In short: RoboDK is an offline programming and simulation software for industrial robots. The simulation software allows you to program robots outside the production environment, eliminating production downtime caused by shop floor programming.

Key takeaways

RoboDK belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect RoboDK to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of RoboDK from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

RoboDK is an offline programming and simulation software for industrial robots. The simulation software allows you to program robots outside the production environment, eliminating production downtime caused by shop floor programming. RoboDK includes tools that can be used for many robotics projects including milling, welding, pick and place, packaging and labelling, palletizing, painting, robot calibration and more.

History While working on his PhD at CoRo lab, Albert Nubiola was the main developer of RoKiSim, a multi-platform educational software tool for 3D simulation of serial six-axis robots. In January 2015, RoboDK was founded by Albert Nubiola as a spin-off company from the CoRo laboratory in at ETS University in Montreal. RoboDK software is the extended commercial version of RoKiSim and is designed to bring powerful robotics simulation and programming capabilities to companies large and small and to coders and non-coders alike. At launch, the RoboDK library supported 200 robots from more than 20 robot manufacturers. RoboDK launched when the first customer, a New Zealand-based manufacturer, wanted to use RoboDK to calibrate an ABB robot for robot milling. Since then RoboDK has provided solutions for companies around the world such as NASA, Spotify, Wilder Systems, and many more.

Main features

Robot brand independence RoboDK has a library of over 1000 robots from more than 50 different manufacturers including ABB, Fanuc, Kuka, Yaskawa Motoman, Universal Robots, Omron.

User interface The user interface enables easy simulation and doesn't require any previous programming knowledge.

File format

Filename extensions RoboDK's native file formats are denoted as .rdk this file can be referred as a RoboDK station or RoboDK file. A RoboDK station is where the virtual environment station and calibration information is stored.

Supported formats RoboDK supports most standard 3D formats such as STL, STEP (or STP) and IGES (or IGS) formats. Other formats such as VRML, 3DS or OBJ are also supported.

Export format RoboDK post processors allow for programs to be exported to an actual robot including, ABB Rapid (mod/prog), Fanuc LS (LS/TP), Kuka KRC/IIWA (SRC/java), Yaskawa Motoman Inform (JBI), Universal Robots (URP and URscript), Kawasaki (PG files), HIWIN (HRB) and more.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with RoboDK

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what RoboDK claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to RoboDK before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about RoboDK ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of RoboDK

In research: RoboDK appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses RoboDK in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: RoboDK is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Industrial robotics, Robotics simulation software, Simulation programming languages, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for RoboDK outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study RoboDK in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what RoboDK means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain RoboDK out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is RoboDK in simple terms?

Why does RoboDK matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study RoboDK?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on RoboDK.