Three of the most critical questions that robotics engineers and scientists need to answer are:

MATLAB® and Simulink® can help answer these questions, and accelerate and streamline the design, prototyping, and verification of robotics applications.

Try MATLAB and ROS Interface

Read data from ROS nodes into MATLAB for visualization and algorithms prototyping. Learn about the MATLAB and ROS interface in Robotics System Toolbox.

Designing and Simulating Robotics Systems

Your current robotics design project may require you to prototype a robot that has wheels, arms, and sensors. It may need to navigate in a building, pick and place objects, or perform other maneuvers. You may know the basics of kinematics, dynamics, servo, stepper motors, or CAD tools. Simulink can help convert your ideas and concepts into a functional robot design.

Prototyping Robotics Algorithms

Algorithms enable robots to perform a wide variety of operations and serve in a variety of applications and environments. Designing and prototyping a complex robotics algorithm can be a challenging and time-consuming task. MATLAB and Simulink enable you to quickly prototype robotics algorithms using behavioral simulations or low-cost hardware accessories. For example, you can design collision avoidance algorithms with supervisory control in a 3D environment, test vision-based object detection and tracking algorithms with low-cost USB cameras, or prototype motor control algorithms with Arduino.

Connecting to Robot Platforms and Peripherals

Connection, communication, and control are three critical aspects of robotics. Direct connection with your robot platform and the ability to communicate with its peripherals enable engineers to quickly test and validate algorithms or make design changes. MATLAB provides several different options for you to connect to, communicate with, and control your robot and peripherals. You can directly communicate from MATLAB with robots running ROS, robots equipped with low-cost hardware such as Raspberry Pi and Arduino, or other popular research robot platforms.

Options for Connecting to Hardware