An event driven virtual reality system for planning and control of multiple robots

Virtual reality can be a very useful tool for complicated programming, planning, controlling and teleoperating robots. As yet the application of virtual reality to cooperation and conflict resolution between multiple robots has received little attention. In the paper, an event-driven virtual reality system for two robots is proposed and implemented. This system uses a standard VR package to implement the environment, thus allowing easier development of tasks, skills and behaviours. The assemblies in the virtual scene, i.e. CAD counterparts of these two robots, act like an outer protective skin to events from the variable environment around them such as collisions. Thus the corresponding safety actions can then be taken. The virtual and real environments are physically connected through a LAN using the TCP/IP protocol. Once the virtual assemblies are placed in safe and desirable goal locations, the real links update their locations using recorded trajectory points through path planning and collision avoidance. This approach prevents the VR from causing collisions between two real links, and between the real links and their environment. This system has provided a useful extension to current virtual reality systems for single robots. Also this system has application potential in multiple robot teleoperation tasks