Virtual Reality as a Robot Programming Tool and a Comparison of its Effectiveness in Common Tasks

This paper introduces a Unity-based framework, integrated with ROS, for employing Virtual Reality (VR) as a robot programming tool adaptable to various robots and devices. We assess VR’s effectiveness against traditional methods through typical tasks such as pick-and-place, peg-in-hole, and trajectory tracking. With experiments conducted involving human participants, our findings reveal VR’s immersive potential, speed and variable efficiency. The findings show VR competes well with teach pendant method in speed for specific tasks, while collaborative method excel in precision and speed in most experiments. Notably, participants with VR experience showed greater efficiency, suggesting the value of training. This study emphasizes VR’s potential to enhance the intuitiveness and efficiency of robot programming, despite its learning curve and limitations.