mockrobot

Mockrobot is an open-source software framework for simulating and testing robotic systems. It provides a virtual environment to develop and validate control algorithms before deploying to real hardware. The project aims to enable repeatable experiments, deterministic results, and integration with continuous integration workflows.

Mockrobot originated as a community project in the early days of open robotics education, combining lightweight simulators with flexible robot models. It is maintained by volunteers and academic contributors and has seen adoption in universities, research labs, and hobbyist communities. The ecosystem includes documentation, example simulations, and a growing library of reusable components.

The architecture centers on a modular core that provides time stepping, a physics backend for rigid-body dynamics, and a scene graph of robot models and sensors. It supports standard robot description formats, sensor models (camera, LIDAR, proprioception), actuator simulators, and a scripting interface for rapid experimentation. The framework emphasizes portability, extensibility, and reproducibility of experiments through configurable scenarios and data logging.

Mockrobot integrates with Robot Operating System (ROS) and ROS 2, allowing nodes to publish and subscribe to simulated topics. It offers Python and C++ APIs, a scenario editor, deterministic replay, and a plugin system for extensions. The tool is designed to work across platforms and to interoperate with other simulation and analysis tools in a robotics workflow.

Common use cases include education, early-stage algorithm development, and hardware-in-the-loop testing. Users should note that simulations are approximations of real-world physics and may not capture all nuances of hardware interaction or environmental conditions, but they provide a practical environment for safe prototyping and validation.