Sawyer SDK is designed to provide scientific research teams worldwide and corporate research and development departments with a range of application possibilities. The kit includes a number of advanced features that allow the user to visualize and control the robot's interaction with its environment. The software integrates with the widely used Gazebo simulator, which simulates the robot and its interaction with the environment and allows researchers to test programs in simulation before running them on the robot. Sawyer's integration with Gazebo is completely open-source based. This allows students to run simulations from their laptop until they are ready to test the programs in real time on the robot.

In addition to the Gazebo connection, Sawyer SDK also includes a new motion interface that researchers can use to program the robot in Cartesian space. This enhancement simplifies motion planning even for programmers without a dedicated robotics background. The software update enables scientists to use resistance and force control even more effectively. Sawyer SDK also supports the ClickSmart gripper set, which is part of the fully integrated robotics solution.

Robotics degree programs and research programs

"Rethink Robotics' robots are used in the world's most prestigious research institutions. This provides us with valuable feedback on what our research customers really need," said Scott Eckert, President and CEO of Rethink Robotics. "As with all of our SDK releases, our goal is to set the standard with industry-leading features that enable universities and corporate R&D departments to advance robotics and publish their research results faster."

Research institutions in the USA and Europe are using Sawyer SDK in their robotics courses and research programs, including Stanford University, the University of California at Berkeley, the École National Supérieure des Arts et Métiers (ENSAM) in France and the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI). The Vision and Learning Lab at Stanford University, for example, is working on equipping robots with different capabilities for both industrial and private use.

"Robotics is a field that combines technological and engineering skills with creativity. The ingenuity of our students in terms of what you can do with the robots is really incredible," says Dr. Animesh Garg from the Department of Computer Science at Stanford University. Animesh and his team have Sawyer perform tasks based on virtual reality (VR) input, automatically breaking down the applications into simpler components. They also teach Sawyer to use tools such as hammers or screwdrivers.

The software development kit will be available for all Sawyer cobots from March 2018 and will provide access to both the Intera manufacturing software and the SDK software. as