No-Code, Voice Programming for Complex Robotic Applications

As the use of sophisticated software applications has grown in industry, attempts have increasingly been made to simplify the process of programming complex automation systems in the interest of lowering barriers to their adoption. One approach has been to rely on large, online libraries of pre-existing code that can be fairly easily pieced together into a functional application. Another has been the development of low-code and no-code methodologies such as Google’s Blockly visual programming language that allow end users to design applications through intuitive programming metalanguages. Automation provider Comau has recently adopted this latter approach with the release of its MI.RA/Dexter software. MI.RA/Dexter uses a programming metalanguage that is able to translate human syntax into robot syntax. In other words, end users are able to program a robotic system by stringing together a series of simple commands, such as “look” at an object, “touch” a specific point in space, “listen” to voice recognition operations, and “reproduce” or “execute” specific actions. Through voice commands, MI.RA/Dexter can even adjust and correct actions in real-time. By eliminating the need to write code, the software can allow manufacturers to avoid the costs associated with dedicated robot programming.