Remote Motion Interface (RMI)

Remote Motion Interface (RMI) allows an external device—such as a PLC, PC, or vision system—to directly control FANUC robot motion by sending teach pendant (TP) instructions to the robot controller. The controller generates a dedicated TP program and continuously appends user-supplied motion commands during execution.

This enables real-time, adaptive motion control without the need for pre-defined robot paths, making RMI ideal for applications that require dynamic responsiveness such as vision-guided robotics, AI-driven processes, or flexible automation systems. By offloading motion decision-making to an external system, RMI enhances integration capability, reduces programming complexity, and supports highly adaptable manufacturing environments.

RMI facilitates external control of the robot via a PC by leveraging TCP/IP socket messaging and JSON-formatted commands for seamless communication.   The PC can send a robot path to the controller as a sequence of robot waypoints. The PC can also perform IO operations, call other programs, or get controller status.

Because the FANUC motion planner is being used for the motion control, the motion parameters that define blending, acceleration, etc., are automatically managed for maximum performance.  Additionally, most other software options, including Collision Guard and DCS are fully compatible with RMI.