Robotics Industry Glossary
V
V-REP (CoppeliaSim)
A versatile robot simulation platform supporting multiple physics engines, scripting, and interfaces for research and education.
Value Stream Mapping
A lean tool to visualize the flow of materials and information needed to bring a product to the customer.
Velocity Control
A control mode where the robot’s controller commands joint or end-effector velocities rather than positions, used in conveyor tracking and compliant tasks.
Velocity Profile
A time-based graph of a robot’s speed during motion, planned to optimize between trapezoidal, S-curve, or other profiles for smoothness.
Vibration Analysis
The study of oscillatory motions in robot structures and joints, used for health monitoring, fault detection, and design optimization.
Virtual Commissioning
The testing and validation of robot systems in a simulated environment before physical installation, reducing risk and cost.
Virtual Reality (VR)
An immersive technology used in robot teleoperation, training, and simulation to provide operators with a virtual representation of the robot’s environment.
Vision System
An integrated setup of cameras, lighting, processing hardware, and software enabling a robot to perceive and interpret visual information.
Vision-Guided Robotics (VGR)
The use of camera-based feedback to direct robot motion, enabling adaptive grasping, inspection, and navigation.
Vision-Language-Action (VLA) Model
A next-generation architecture that fuses visual perception, natural language reasoning, and motor control into a single foundation model for generalist robots.
Visual Servoing
A robot control technique using real-time camera feedback to guide the end-effector to a target, classified as position-based (PBVS) or image-based (IBVS).
Visual SLAM
SLAM algorithms that use camera images (monocular, stereo, or RGB-D) as the primary sensor for mapping and localization.