A review of physics simulators for robotic applications

Journal article : Review

The use of simulators in robotics research is widespread, underpinning the majority of recent advances in the field. There are now more options available to researchers than ever before, however navigating through the plethora of choices in search of the right simulator is often non-trivial. Depending on the field of research and the scenario to be simulated there will often be a range of suitable physics simulators from which it is difficult to ascertain the most relevant one. We have compiled a broad review of physics simulators for use within the major fields of robotics research. More specifically, we navigate through key sub-domains and discuss the features, benefits, applications and use-cases of the different simulators categorised by the respective research communities. Our review provides an extensive index of the leading physics simulators applicable to robotics researchers and aims to assist them in choosing the best simulator for their use case.

Authors: Collins, J; Chand, S; Vanderkop, A; Howard, D

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: IEEE
• Journal: IEEE Access
• Volume: 9
• Pages: 51416-51431
• Publication date: 2021-03-25
• Acceptance date: 2021-03-16
• DOI: 10.1109/ACCESS.2021.3068769
• EISSN: 2169-3536
• Language: English
• Keywords: soft robotics; surgical robotics; marine robotics; manipulation; review; robotic learning; simulation; aerial robotics; field robotics; robotics
• Subtype: Review