Implementing Collision Detection Testing in DevOps Pipeline with PLC Integration

[morandalex]

I'm looking to develop a DevOps pipeline that incorporates automated collision detection testing for a robotics simulation. Specifically, I want to:

1. Primary Objective:

• Implement automated testing that can detect and verify collisions between objects in the simulation
• Extract object position/state data from the simulation environment to create collision detection assertions

2. Use Case Context:
   I'm working with a setup where:

• A physical PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) is running a control program
• The simulation environment interfaces with this physical PLC in real-time:
  • Reads states/signals from the PLC
  • Updates simulation behavior based on PLC inputs
  • Sends feedback/states back to the PLC

3. Technical Questions:

• What APIs or methods are available to extract object state information from the simulation?
• How can I implement collision detection assertions in a CI/CD pipeline?
• What's the recommended approach for integrating physical PLC I/O with the simulation testing framework?

Any guidance on implementing this testing architecture would be appreciated, particularly focusing on the simulation-PLC communication and collision detection methodology.