Common Languages
Last updated
Last updated
C++ Offers direct memory and hardware control, deterministic performance, and wide support in real-time and embedded systems. C++ is the backbone of many high-performance robotics frameworks, including ROS (Robot Operating System). – Pros: High speed, extensive libraries, fine‐grained control (e.g. ROS native APIs). – Cons: Steeper learning curve, manual memory management can lead to complex debugging.
Python Ideal for rapid prototyping, scripting, and AI/vision integration. Python’s readability and huge ecosystem (NumPy, OpenCV, TensorFlow) accelerate algorithm development, though it’s generally slower at runtime than compiled languages. – Pros: Simple syntax, rich libraries for machine learning and vision, seamless ROS integration via rospy. – Cons: Lower real-time performance, less suited for hard real-time loops without C++ bindings.
Java Employed in cross-platform and Android-based robotics, especially when portability and managed memory are priorities. Java’s JVM offers safety and garbage collection at the cost of unpredictable latency. – Pros: Portable “write once, run anywhere,” strong ecosystem for networking and GUIs. – Cons: Garbage-collection pauses, less control over hardware.
C# / .NET Used by Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio and .NET-based vision libraries. C# combines high-level productivity with access to Windows-specific robotics APIs. – Pros: Rich robotics-focused libraries, rapid GUI development with WPF/WinForms. – Cons: Tied to Windows platforms; less common in Linux-based robot builds.
MATLAB / Simulink Provides a model-based design environment for kinematics, dynamics, control and vision. Automatic code generation lets you deploy to embedded targets or ROS nodes. – Pros: Integrated toolboxes (Robotics System Toolbox, Computer Vision), built-in plotting and visualization. – Cons: Commercial licensing costs; less flexible for custom low-level drivers.
Hardware Description Languages (HDLs) Languages like VHDL or Verilog appear when implementing FPGAs for ultra-low‐latency sensor interfaces or custom co-processors. – Pros: Enables cycle-accurate, parallel hardware acceleration. – Cons: Very steep learning curve; specialized domain expertise needed.
Lisp, Pascal, and Others Historic languages (Lisp in early AI/robot planning, Pascal in educational robotics) have largely given way to the above, though you may still encounter them in legacy systems or teaching contexts.
If you need real‐time control and hardware drivers, start with C++.
For rapid prototyping, vision, or machine‐learning tasks, begin with Python.
When targeting industrial environments or Windows-based toolchains, consider C# or Java.
For model-based design and automated code generation, leverage MATLAB/Simulink.
4 Best Programming Languages For Robotics-GUVI blog
What Is the Best Programming Language for Robotics?-Robotiq
Top 8 Robotic Programming Languages-Built In
Exploring 5 Types of Robot Programming Languages-Augmentus
Robot Programming Language: 5 Options Explored-Bota Systems
Learn ROS & Robotics Online-The Construct (incl. Python for Robotics)
ROS Official Documentation & Tutorials
Discussion: “What’s the best language for getting into robotics?”-Reddit