A C++ library for interfacing with ABB robot controllers supporting Robot Web Services (RWS). See the online documentation for a detailed description of RWS.

See abb_libegm for a companion library that interfaces with Externally Guided Motion (EGM).

The following is a conceptual sketch of how this RWS library can be viewed, in relation to an ABB robot controller as well as the EGM companion library mentioned above.

• RobotWare version 6.0 or higher.

• POCO C++ Libraries (>= 1.4.3 due to WebSocket support)

RWS provides access to several services and resources in the robot controller, and this library currently support the following:

• Reading/writing of IO-signals.
• Reading/writing of RAPID data.
• Reading of RAPID data properties.
• Starting/stopping/resetting the RAPID program.
• Subscriptions (i.e. receiving notifications when resources are updated).
• Uploading/downloading/removing files.
• Checking controller state (e.g. motors on/off, auto/manual mode and RAPID execution running/stopped).
• Reading the joint/Cartesian values of a mechanical unit.
• Register as a local/remote user (e.g. for interaction during manual mode).
• Turning the motors on/off.
• Reading of current RobotWare version and available tasks in the robot system.

• This library has been verified to work with RobotWare 6.06.01. Other version are expected to work, but this cannot be guaranteed at the moment.
• It is a good idea to perform RobotStudio simulations before working with a real robot.
• It is prudent to familiarize oneself with general safety regulations (e.g. described in ABB manuals).