What tools can help Robotics professionals meet deadlines?

I think an important balance needs to be struck between finding areas of improvements and managing scope creep to keep up with our deadlines. On one hand we want to improve the product we are working on, but at the same time we need to be conscious of resources and priorities. PM tools (such as Jira, Trello or many others) are quite helpful in that regard as they allow us to document and then prioritize the identified tasks. We can put the "good to haves" as a backlog and keep focused on the essentials.

I am creating a program that will help scientists and researchers and engineers to manage their daily life for both work life balance and quit being overwhelmed… Stay tuned

1. Project Management Tools Trello: For organizing tasks, setting deadlines, and collaborating with team members. JIRA: Useful for bug tracking, issue tracking, and project management. Asana: Helps in planning, tracking, and managing projects.

Robotics professionals can use various tools to meet deadlines, including: CAD Software: Computer-aided design (CAD) software like SolidWorks or AutoCAD helps in creating and simulating robot designs, saving time during the development phase. Simulation Software: Tools like ROS (Robot Operating System) or Gazebo allow for virtual testing and prototyping, reducing the need for physical iterations. Project Management Software: Tools like Trello, Asana, or Microsoft Project can help in planning, tracking progress, and managing tasks efficiently. 3D Printing: 3D printers can accelerate the rapid prototyping of custom robot parts. Data Analysis Tools: Tools like Python libraries (NumPy, Pandas) or MATLAB for data analysis and optimization.

Work hard to make your products perfect guys! What I have in mind and in build process is a different beast! It’s not compatible with Jira, Asana, Trello or anything in the market because it’s a new state of art! Innovation is the key to success and you are all producing the same, it’s been years with no new management product and you presented failure point to all major corporations in using your products… My product will be a major collapse for inferior products like an atomic bomb!

Simulation software for robots?? One thing to note here is that Gazebo is the go-to choice if you are using ROS, and it's open-source which makes it a good choice for students and researchers. To implement localisation , mapping and navigation related tasks you could run faster and simpler simulations in tools like Rviz. V-Rep (now CoppeliaSim) has a better UI if you prefer setting up things from the UI. MATLAB does have a lot of functionalities and simulation capabilities. Although it prefers scripts to be written in MATLAB, C++ using mex and Python using APIs or 'system' function is a great way to develop in other languages. A helpful and important thing to remember is to try and model your noise as close to the real scenario as possible.

Simulation software is indeed a valuable resource for robotics development. It enables you to efficiently iterate and refine your designs, algorithms, and control strategies in a virtual environment, reducing the risk and cost associated with real-world testing. Gazebo, V-REP, and MATLAB are excellent examples of simulation platforms that offer diverse features, from physics-based modeling to 3D visualization, making them essential tools for robotics research, development, and training. By leveraging simulation software, robotics engineers and researchers can accelerate their projects, improve system reliability, and gain deeper insights into robot behavior and performance.

Being someone that uses Simulation Software. It is a great tool for engineering a robot cell. It gives you as close as possible to real world expectations of a robot. For the most accurate cycle times. I found it is best to stick with the manufacturer’s simulation software instead of one that can do multiple Robot Brands. Example… Fanuc RoboGuide. This is great for quotes. You can add the simulation cycle time so you’re not stuck trying to hit unrealistic times with the robot on site at a customer. It’s not easy to get a robot faster than the simulation shows possible. Simulation shows perfect world conditions for the robot so I always recommend giving yourself a buffer so that real world cycle times are achievable.

Yes, definitely, but it is essential to focus on what one needs from simulation. Oftentimes we use the Hardware Mocking approach without any dynamic simulation, but rather scenario simulation. This is much easier to set up, trivial to transfer functionality to the real world, and often enough. When dynamic or sensor simulation is needed, Gazebo is great, if physics should not be too precise. For detailed physics, one needs to write individual models, for example using Matlab. I would recommend always simulating, but first, make it clear what needs to be simulated, i.e., which level of physical simulation is actually helpful for the solution.

Simulation is definitely helpful in saving time. However, the simulation should be able to consider all the natural variations in the intended operation environment as well as the dynamics.

Git/GitHub: For version control, code sharing, and collaboration. Bitbucket: Another option for code versioning and collaboration. GitLab: Offers continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) capabilities.

Git. For GUI, choose what you prefer the most personally or in your organization. Watch out to not add too much complexity to the tool on top of the team!

I always hse git and do not dictate the client to the team. Everybody can use what he or she wants. Make sure you select a plattform (github, gitlab, azure devops, etc.) that fits your needs for doing ci/cd and Pull requests. I favorize github and gitlab

Luckily with the emergence of AI, documentation is becoming a task best suited for AI. Reviewing documentation for accuracy is always a task for humans but we should all be using AI to allow it to understand a piece of code and let it generate documentation in any format we'd like.

Doxygen + Sphinx are a great combination to put the documentation alongside the code. This is critical to keep it up to date as changes are made to the code. It is much easier to ask someone to update documentation is they have to do it with the same contribution as the code they are providing.

Combine multiple: -Doxygen or else for code documentation -Confluence or else for collecting knowledge -a Qm system to document all quality relevant documentation. In regulated areas the documentation in the Qm system is a big part of the product. Some would say: The documentation is the product. Only what is documented exists. I share this perspective as it leads to a better product and higher quality if everybody focusses on the documentation

Confluence: For creating, organizing, and discussing work with the team. Notion: An all-in-one workspace for notes, tasks, wikis, and databases. Google Docs: For collaborative document editing and sharing.

For the automation part, the most important is CI and CD setup. This makes life very easy in the long-term. Regarding hardware setup, Ansible, and Docker files are good ways to setup everything. For CI/CD, it doesn't matter if you use GitHub or GitLab, they are comparable and enable you to run whatever you need, from unit tests over integration test to generating images for your devices.

Zapier: Automates repetitive tasks with workflows. IFTTT: Creates custom automated workflows between apps and services. Automate.io: Connects different cloud applications to automate workflows.

A process and tool to implement rapid prototyping, testing and iterative improvement will avoid surprises based delays during the final phase of the delivery.

There are many tools to consider as a robotics professional, depending on your expertise and focus the tools would vary. Project Management tools like JIRA would be helpful. Or if you're a designer/engineer AutoCAD would be the go-to. Ultimately, you want to style up to trend on the latest technologies and trends to better perform your job.

The ultimate tools for Robotics professionals are the personnel on the ground. All the software in the world will not make any difference if you can't adequately support the individuals responsible for operating and maintaining your equipment. Discussing plans with Maintenance and Production to ensure your plans match the capabilities of the individuals on the ground will allow you to create a robust and durable setup that will improve workflow and minimize unscheduled downtime. Make sure you clearly communicate with Installation Engineers and Technicians as to the timeframes and expectations for your cells. People are the best tool you can have.

In the dynamic field of robotics, where precision and efficiency are paramount, these tools play a significant role in streamlining processes, improving team coordination, and ultimately ensuring that projects stay on track and meet their deadlines. As a robotics pro, meeting deadlines is key. Continuous project and process review until testing and launch is my strategy. Automation tools like task schedulers and reminders are vital. They ensure clear task assignments, reduce manual tracking, and send timely reminders. In our dynamic field, precision and efficiency matter. Let's share our experiences on essential tools for successful project management in robotics.