Software platforms for integrating robots and virtual environments

Abstract The whole field of robotics suffers from a lack of standardization of programming methods. It is hence no surprise that, also in the specific context of rehabilitation robotics, there is not yet consensus on a software platform. In this chapter, we will survey the different solutions that have been used for combining robots (or more in general haptic interfaces) and virtual environments. We will consider advantages and disadvantages of each of these and how their popularity evolved over the years and discuss typical applications of these platforms, focusing on upper-limb rehabilitation.