Towards a lightweight ROS–CoppeliaSim simulator for the BEATRIX robotic education platform

This work presents the design and development of BEATRIXsim, a simulation environment for integration into the educational BEATRIX robot platform. BEATRIXsim is implemented in CoppeliaSim due to its support for kinematics and low computational load. Both the physical robot (BEAT-RIX) and digital robot (BEATRIXsim) are interfaced using an Arduino Mega microcontroller and the Robot Operating System (ROS) using the rosserial protocol. Custom-built ROS messages, services and a bridge are developed for synchronised operation, communication, control and real-time feedback of both the physical and digital robots. This simulation environment includes a Graphical User Interface (GUI) to allow users to simultaneously control both the physical hardware and the digital robot, but also their individual control. BEATRIXsim serves as a tool for experimentation and testing processes without the need for its physical counterpart, reducing risks, costs and development time. Overall, this work shows that an affordable humanoid robot for education purposes can be enhanced by the use of digital technology, providing a robust platform for real-time control, experimentation and teaching in robotics.