Robot simulation represents a machine, its sensors, and parts of its surroundings in software. A team can use it to run many candidate situations, including cases that would be slow, costly, or risky to reproduce with a physical robot.
Simulations may use physics engines or generated scenes to create training and evaluation scenarios. Their value depends on how well the virtual behavior matches reality, so promising results must be checked with physical trials and varied conditions.
ELI5
Robot simulation lets a team practice robot tasks in a computer-made setting. The robot can make mistakes there without dropping a real object or damaging equipment.
For example, developers might test whether a virtual robot can grasp a folded towel under several lighting conditions. If it succeeds, they still try the task with a real towel because fabric and lighting may behave differently.
