Open-Source Technologies for Industrial Robotics Education in Industry 4.0

This paper addresses a gap in the current literature, namely the absence of a systematic, educationally oriented comparative framework for open-source robotics simulation platforms in the context of Industry 4.0 curricula. While platforms including Gazebo, Webots, and CoppeliaSim are widely used in academic settings, no consolidated study has evaluated them simultaneously against criteria specific to educational environments, such as ease of use, hardware accessibility, pedagogical resource availability, and alignment with ROS 2.

Using a multi-criteria evaluation framework applied across four dimensions, specifically ROS 2 integration, ease of use, hardware accessibility, and availability of pedagogical resources, this paper systematically compares Gazebo, Webots, and CoppeliaSim as primary simulation platforms, with contextual references to emerging tools including NVIDIA Isaac Sim and MuJoCo (Multi-Joint dynamics with Contact).

The evaluation is grounded in the specific requirements of engineering education programmes targeting Industry 4.0 competencies, where students must acquire practical robotics skills without direct access to industrial hardware.

The results indicate that no single platform is optimal across all educational contexts. Webots offers the lowest barrier to entry and is most suitable for introductory courses, while Gazebo, being tightly coupled with ROS 2, is recommended for advanced undergraduate and graduate-level instruction. CoppeliaSim, through its educational license and modular scripting architecture, provides unique advantages for teaching control systems concepts.

The paper concludes with a proposed learning pathway for progressive integration of open-source tools across an academic robotics curriculum, along with practical recommendations for laboratory setup and course design.