{"id":12680,"date":"2026-08-05T05:51:09","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T09:51:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/robodk.com\/blog\/?p=12680"},"modified":"2026-08-05T09:50:30","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T13:50:30","slug":"real-time-collision-checking-for-physical-ai-applications-robodk-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/robodk.com\/blog\/real-time-collision-checking-for-physical-ai-applications-robodk-6\/","title":{"rendered":"Real-Time Collision Checking for Physical AI Applications in RoboDK 6\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

New benchmarks show how RoboDK 6 supports responsive path planning, runtime adjustments and emerging physical AI applications. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n


Collision checking is one of the most computationally demanding parts of robot simulation and motion planning. A planner may need to check thousands of potential robot configurations and path segments against the surrounding geometry. That\u2019s a lot of mathematics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those calculations are now significantly faster in RoboDK 6<\/a>. In fact, \u2018significantly\u2019 may be an understatement. Depending on the application and hardware configuration, RoboDK 6 performs collision checking <\/strong>up to 100 times faster<\/strong><\/a> than previous versions<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This level of performance opens up new opportunities for responsive path planning, runtime adjustments and emerging physical AI applications. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using a complex automotive spot-welding station containing a Comau Smart5 NJ 130-2.6 robot<\/a>, RoboDK recorded collision-checking rates of up to 4,357 samples per second<\/strong>. In a second test, RoboDK checked all 3,589 steps of the robot program at up to 1,204 steps per second<\/strong>\u2014an average of just 0.83 milliseconds per step<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tests across five hardware and software configurations recorded full-program collision-checking rates ranging from 83 to 1,204 steps per second. Results will vary depending on the processor, operating system, RoboDK build, station complexity and collision settings, but overall, collision checking can now be performed much more quickly across complete robot programs and multiple hardware configurations. So, what does all this mean? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Download RoboDK 6<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/picture><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The value of faster collision checking <\/strong>
<\/strong>Traditional collision-free motion planning algorithms use probabilistic roadmaps. Software samples possible robot configurations, identifies collision-free positions and connects them to create a navigable map through the robot\u2019s workspace. When the robot needs to move between two positions, the software tries to quickly connect and navigate through this \u2018map\u2019 for a valid route. Having this map helps speed up calculation of collision-free paths as traditional hardware and software integration used to be slow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This works well while the environment remains substantially unchanged. But when a vehicle body, workpiece or other object starts moving, the map may not match the sampled territory, and a previously valid path may now contain an obstruction. The system then has to check the updated environment and find an appropriate response quickly enough for the result to remain useful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

RoboDK 6 enables applications to perform these calculations much faster. To the point where sampling the workspace for a probabilistic roadmap is not needed anymore. This in turn enables RoboDK users to: <\/p>\n\n\n\n