Robot Programming - Wiki

Robots require specialized programming languages and frameworks to handle real-time control, sensor processing, and physical interaction with the world. Here's what powers modern robotics.

Primary Languages

C++ The workhorse of robotics - fast, low-level control, real-time capable
Python Rapid prototyping, AI/ML integration, ROS scripting
C Embedded systems, microcontrollers, firmware
Rust Emerging for safety-critical robotics, memory safe

ROS (Robot Operating System)

What it is Open-source robotics middleware framework
Created 2007 at Willow Garage (Stanford spinoff)
Languages Primarily C++ and Python
Purpose Communication between robot components, sensor data, control
ROS 2 Modern version with real-time support, better security
Used by Research labs, Boston Dynamics, NASA, Amazon Robotics

ROS is essentially the Linux of robotics. It provides a common framework so different robot components (cameras, motors, sensors) can talk to each other through a standardized message system.

Industrial Robot Languages

RAPID ABB robots - structured text language
KRL KUKA Robot Language - similar to Pascal
FANUC Karel FANUC robots - Pascal-based
VAL3 Staubli robots
URScript Universal Robots - Python-like, easy to learn
G-code CNC machines and 3D printers

Each major robot manufacturer has their own proprietary language. This is slowly changing as ROS adoption grows, but legacy systems still dominate factory floors.

AI & Machine Learning

Python + PyTorch/TensorFlow Neural networks for perception
Computer Vision OpenCV (C++/Python) for image processing
NVIDIA Isaac GPU-accelerated robotics simulation and AI
Reinforcement Learning Training robots through simulation

Modern robots increasingly rely on machine learning for tasks like object recognition, navigation, and manipulation. Python dominates this space due to the AI/ML ecosystem.

Embedded & Real-Time

C/C++ Direct hardware control, interrupt handling
Arduino (C++) Hobbyist robotics, prototyping
MicroPython Python for microcontrollers
RTOS Real-Time Operating Systems (FreeRTOS, VxWorks)
PLC Languages Ladder Logic, Structured Text for industrial automation

Simulation

Gazebo 3D robotics simulator, integrates with ROS
Unity + ROS Game engine for realistic simulation
NVIDIA Omniverse Physics-accurate digital twins
PyBullet Python physics simulation for RL

Simulation is critical because testing on real robots is slow, expensive, and dangerous. You can run thousands of training episodes in simulation before deploying to hardware.

The Future

Large Language Models Natural language robot control (OpenAI, Google)
Foundation Models Pre-trained models for robotic perception
Rust Growing adoption for safety-critical systems
Low-code Visual programming for non-experts (Blockly, Scratch)

The trend is toward higher-level abstractions. Instead of programming every motion, you'll tell a robot what you want and it figures out how. The gap between human intent and robot action is shrinking.