Amazon Web Services Inc. today launched WorldForge, a new tool that allows robotics developers to test their autonomous machines and the artificial intelligence models powering them in simulated environments.

WorldForge is part of RoboMaker, AWS’ robotics development service. RoboMaker includes a specialized robot operating system, features for managing fleets of autonomous machines and coding tools for writing software that runs on those machines. The service is used by manufacturers such as Roomba maker iRobot Corp. as well as research teams at universities. 

The AI that drives a robot must be trained and tested like any other neural network. Engineers often opt to perform the training in simulated environments rather than the real-world because it lowers hardware expenses and saves time. However, setting up a custom simulation environment is still a costly endeavor that can take months of work, which is what AWS aims to change with WorldForge.

The tool provides a no-code interface through which engineers can quickly set up a virtual sandbox for testing their robot’s AI. Instead of having to write code themselves, they only need define high-level properties for the simulation, such as if it should model a single room or an entire house and what kind of objects the AI will encounter inside. 

Using WorldForge doesn’t require any knowledge of simulation or 3D modeling tools, according to AWS. To lower the learning curve even more, the cloud giant has mixed in several ready-made templates of simulated environments that can be deployed with minimal setup. 

Engineers can set up multiple simulations with different parameters to teach their machines how to operate in varying conditions. WorldForge injects randomization into each environment, for instance by changing up the location of the furniture in a virtual room, to aid AI training. The tool only supports a limited set of indoor environments for the time being, but it’s quite possible AWS will introduce additional options in the future if the demand is there. 

WorldForge could be a particularly big boon for smaller companies in the robotics industry. Startups with limited budgets often have the most to gain from tools that can lower capital- and time-intensive tasks such as setting up a custom simulation environment. As part of AWS’ RoboMaker service, WorldForge could also make the service more appealing for larger customers by expanding its feature set. 

Images: AWS