Using Virtual Reality as a Support Tool for the Offline Robot Programming

The present article focuses on the possibilities of using Virtual Reality (VR) as a supporting tool by using the offline programming method for industrial robots. The philosophy of using such a process is hierarchically linked to the observance of methodological procedures for the proposal new workstations with using industrial robots. First, it is necessary to develop CAD models of the projected workplace, which can be imported into a suitable simulation environment for the creation of robotic simulations with support for visualization to the immersive VR environment. In our case, the CAD software Catia was used to develop a workstation, followed by integration of the CAD database into the simulation environment of Process Simulate (PS). Support for the visualization in the immersive environment of the Virtual Reality of Process Simulate was vested using the glasses headset HTC VIVE.