Visual Studios Add-in or PC SDK for Kinect application?

MechatronicsStudent

Hi all

I am trying to design some software to allow a user to control an IRB120 arm using an Xbox Kinect- tracking the hand of the user and using its location as target data for the robot.

In RobotStudio there is an option to create Visual Studio add-in- can I use this to create a program in C# that will pass data to RobotStudio to be used in a RAPID program?

Or do I need to download the PC SDK and learn to use that - I assume that would involve writing a program in C# that will involve both the Kinect and communicationg with Robotstudio in one program

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Niklas Skoglund

Hi MechatronicsStudent,

you need to use PC SDK in order to communicate with the robot controller while it is executing a program.

A RobotStudio Add-In can also communicate with a virtual and real controller, but the purpose of such add-in is most often to change parameter settings, take backups, download robot programs, monitor the execution of a robot etc.

Not to control it directly in "production".

Have in mind that the IRC5 controller has its own motion planner and motion control system (obviously) so it may be a bit tricky for you to instantly order the robot to move to different poses and positions based on input from the Kinect.

If you want to create your own motion control algorithms and just control the servos, we do not really have an API for that, since it is not what our customers typically want.

Mayby you can share a bit more about what you want to achive?

What can be done is to create a RAPID program that continously moves to the same robtarget, and then update the postion values of the robtarget from the PC SDK application.Search the forum and you will find several posts about ordering the robot to move from point to point based in input from an external system/software, like SimuLink.

What I have written above is about giving position input while the robot is executing.

It is also possible to jog the robot in a commissioning or trobleshooting scenario with the joystick on the FlexPendant or the RobotStudio Online Jog app from the Windows Store.

When you are jogging a robot your are basically ordering it to move small increments from the current position, in various coordinate systems.

MechatronicsStudent

What I want to achieve is motion control of the IRB120 through use of the Kinect. This would be implemented by tracking the hand position of the user and using its location data to update the position values of a robtarget in a RAPID program

From what you have said I will need to create a RAPID Program which uses the data from the kinect through the PC SDK application and will update the robtarget

I will now start exploring the PC SDK and take your advice and search for other related posts.

Any problems and i will use the forums again

thanks for the help

Mattias

Is it possible to control the robot through the PC SDK in the same way the "online jog" app is working, or is the app not built using the PC SDK? In other words, is it possible for me to build an app like "Online jog" using the PC SDK?

DavidLanham

Mattias,
I had the same question as you!  I unfortunately got a email today from the RobotStudio Engineers who say:

"I have talked to my colleagues and the answer is no, the commands to jog a robot in manual mode (as with the joystick or the jog app) is not available in the SDK."

I do have it working with a Application running on a Surface Pro 3, but it would be nice to not have the robot program running and just be in Manual mode.