Microsoft on Wednesday plans to take the wraps off Microsoft Robotics Studio, with hopes of paving the way for a broader robotics industry and taking a central role in its development.

The software is free for hobbyists or researchers, but companies aiming to profit from its use must license a commercial version for $399.

The software platform includes a 3D tool to simulate robotics applications; a services-oriented runtime that lets applications communicate with a wide variety of hardware; and a visual programming language that lets nonprogrammers easily program robots with a drag and drop icons.