The present disclosure provides an apparatus for automatically programming a robot to follow the contour of an object. One exemplary apparatus includes a 3D perception module for reconstructing a 3D digital model of the surface of objects and a planning software module for generating a path using said 3D digital model for a robot to follow. One aspect of this disclosure provides methods for sensing the geometry of a surface, reconstructing its 3D model, and creating paths for a robot to traverse along the surface.