RoboX Quick Start Guide

Welcome to RoboX!

RoboX is an educational, cloud-based simulator for industrial robotic arms. Throughout Intelitek’s Fundamentals of Robotics course, you will use this simulator to complete Missions. In a Mission, the robot must be programmed or manipulated to fulfill a specified task.

Below is a short guide to help get you started.

The RoboX Interface

The labelled image below and the tables on the next page provide an overview of the main components of the RoboX simulator.

Components of the Teach Panel (A)

The Teach Panel (A) allows you to control, manipulate, and program the robot.

Label #	Component Name	Description
1	Instruction Library	Contains the instruction necessary to build a robot job (program).
2	Positions Area	Where you teach (record) robot positions.
3	Quick Command Area	Contains several commonly-used functions such as homing the robot.
4	Jogging Area	The area where you move and manipulate the robot. The SLURBT joint sliders allow you to rotate each robot joint individually, while the XYZ up/down arrows let you move the robot along one of the three world axes.
5	I/O Area	Here is where you can monitor the robot controller’s digital input signals and toggle digital output signals.
6	Job Editor Pane	Build and edit robot jobs (programs) in this pane.
7	Console	Provides important information for the programmer, such as if the robot has been involved in a collision.

 

Components of the View Screen (B)

The View Screen (B) allows you to see where the robot is, what it is doing, and what its surroundings are.

Label #	Component Name	Description
1	Tooltip	You can drag the arrows and the cube on the tooltip to move the robot along a world axis (XYZ) or plane.
2	Manipulator	This is the robotic arm itself. It has six joints, which are also known as axes.
3	Robot Cart	The cart contains the table upon which the robot is secured in addition to peripheral devices such as the conveyor and rotary table. Click the tabletop to open the Teach Panel.
4	Toolbar	Use the toolbar options to reset the cell or perform other simulator actions.

Adjusting the View Screen

Navigate the view screen so that you can focus on the area that you are interested in.

• Rotate: Right-click and drag the cursor.
• Zoom: Scroll the mouse wheel.
• Pan: Click the middle mouse button (scroll wheel) and drag the cursor.
• Preset camera angles: Click the Camera Mode button (shortcut C).
• Open the Jogging/Programming Panel: Click the robot cart’s tabletop to open the Jogging and Programming panels, which are required for manipulating and programming the robot. 

Note: Some of the functions below are disabled for specific Missions.

Manipulating the Robot

Use the following options to manually move (jog) the robot:

• Joint Mode: Drag the SLURBT joint slider to jog each of the robot’s 6 axes individually. This is a good way to change the robot’s posture.  
• Cartesian (XYZ) Mode: Click the up and down arrows to jog the robot along the world X, Y, and Z axes.
• Lead-By-Nose: Drag the arrows at the robot’s tool tip to jog the robot quickly and easily to a new location.
• Homing: Click the Home button (it looks like a house) to return the robot to its home (starting) position.

Teaching Positions

A typical goal of a robot program is to make the robot move automatically to taught positions. To teach a position:

1. Jog the robot to the desired location.
2. In the Positions area of the Jogging panel, click Record.
3. Repeat these steps to teach additional positions.

Programming the Robot

The programming instructions are on the left side of the panel. They are used to create robot programs or jobs.

To program the robot to move to taught positions:

1. Select the Motion category.
2. Drag a MOVJ instruction block from the Motion instructions and connect it to the underside of the When ► Clicked block.
3. Change the position number (left-side field of the block) to that of a taught position. If desired, change the speed (VJ% field) as well.
4. Drag additional MOVJ blocks and connect them to the underside of the already-present MOVJ block. Adjust the position numbers and speeds as desired.
5. Click the ► button to play the job.

Operating the Gripper and other Output Devices

The gripper can be opened/closed manually or by programming it within a job.

• Manual operation: Toggle Output 1.
• Operation within a job: Access the I/O instruction category and add a DOUT instruction block to the job. Change the instruction parameters as necessary to meet the needs of the mission.

The same is true for other output devices in the robotic workcell. However, different output signals are used:

• Output 2: Vacuum gripper (when equipped on the robot)
• Output 3: Conveyor
• Output 4: Rotary table
• Output 7: Conveyor direction change
• Output 8: Rotary table direction change