Drag and Bot robot software integrates Basler camera drivers

Basler’s Pylon camera software for Linux has been integrated into graphical robot programming software Drag and Bot.

The functionality means it is now possible to operate Basler 2D cameras in robotic applications through Drag and Bot’s graphical user interface.

Drag and Bot is a spin-off from the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA) in Stuttgart. The company's vision is to make programming industrial robots as easy as using a smartphone.

Drag and Bot software is independent of robot manufacturers, and designed to simplify setting up, programming and operation of industrial robots. Users are able to drag-and-drop function blocks in the GUI, such as a robot movement, closing the gripper, or locating a workpiece.

The company also offers services around planning and development of robotic solutions.

The work between Basler and Drag and Bot has also resulted in an improved driver for Basler 2D cameras for the open source famework ROS.

An enhanced version of the Pylon ROS driver is available for download via github and means Basler 2D cameras can be integrated into ROS projects.

ROS is an open source framework for the development of robot systems. It was originally developed for service robots, but is increasingly being used to develop solutions in industrial robotics. The ROS driver supports both USB and GigE 2D cameras, and allows the use of a variety of camera functions and parameters.