Research Focus: Digital Twin Creation for Low-Cost Robot Arms

Our lab specializes in developing digital twins of affordable robot arm kits using the Robot Operating System (ROS). We focus on creating accurate virtual replicas of these cost-effective robotic systems to enable real-time monitoring, simulation, and optimization. Key aspects of our work include:

1. ROS Integration: Leveraging ROS’s modular architecture to create precise digital representations of low-cost robot arms.
2. Sensor Data Fusion: Incorporating data from various sensors to ensure high-fidelity digital models, adapting to the limitations of affordable hardware.
3. Real-time Simulation: Developing algorithms for synchronizing the digital twin with its physical counterpart in real-time, optimized for less powerful processors.
4. Performance Optimization: Using digital twins to analyze and improve robot arm performance, energy efficiency, and task execution within the constraints of budget-friendly components.
5. Human-Robot Interaction: Enhancing safety and efficiency in collaborative environments through digital twin simulations, focusing on applications suitable for entry-level robot arms.
6. Cost-Benefit Analysis: Evaluating the trade-offs between affordability and functionality in robot arm kits and their digital twins.
7. Open-Source Development: Contributing to the open-source community by sharing our findings and tools for creating digital twins of low-cost robot arms. Our research aims to democratize robotics by bridging the gap between physical and virtual domains for affordable robot arm systems, making advanced robotic technologies more accessible to researchers, educators, and small-scale industries.

• Custom URDF manipulator model