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Environment Setup for AIRBOT Play

In this tutorial, we will demonstrate how to set up the software environment for AIRBOT Play.

Before proceeding, please make sure you have obtained the SDK package. If not, please contact technical support: contact@discover-robotics.com for further assistance. After extracting the SDK package, the directory structure is as follows: 

# tree 2.8.3/
.
├── CHANGELOG
├── SHA1.txt
├── firmwares
│   ├── BLDC_4_ChibiOS.bin                                   # Motor controller firmware
│   ├── arm-interface-board-base.bin                         # Base interface board firmware 
│   └── end                                                  # End interface board firmware for different end effectors
│       ├── arm-interface-board-end_desheng_servo.bin
│       ├── arm-interface-board-end_jodell_2_fingers.bin
│       ├── arm-interface-board-end_jodell_suction_cup.bin
│       └── arm-interface-board-end_yingshi_2_fingers.bin
└── packages
    ├── airbot_aloha_2.8.3-291bbb4_amd64.deb                 # Data collection example package, depends on the basic control library package
    ├── airbot_play_2.8.3-a117c2fe_amd64.deb                 # Basic control library package, provides support for various interfaces
    ├── airbot_tools_2.8.3-291bbb4_amd64.deb                 # Example tools package, depends on the basic control library package
    ├── ros-noetic-ros-interface_2.8.3-0focal_amd64.deb      # ROS Interface package, depends on the basic control library package
    └── sdk-develop-python.zip

Support for arm64(aarch64)

The standard SDK package includes packages for x86_64(amd64) architecture only. If you are using an ARM-based system, please contact technical support: contact@discover-robotics.com for further assistance.

TL;DR: I want to install all packages at once!

To install all available packages, run the following commands: 

sudo apt install -y unzip
sudo apt install ./packages/airbot_play_<version>_amd64.deb
sudo apt install ./packages/airbot_tools_<version>_amd64.deb
sudo apt install ./packages/airbot_aloha_<version>_amd64.deb
sudo apt install ./packages/ros-noetic-ros-interface_<version>_amd64.deb
unzip sdk-develop-python.zip && cd sdk-develop-python && sudo python3 setup.py install
Replace <version> with the actual version number.

1. Control Library airbot_play

Note

airbot_play is a basic control library package that provides support for various interfaces. It is a dependency for other packages and tools.

With airbot_play installed, you can use the following tools and interfaces:

  • airbot_read_params: Read the status and parameters from AIRBOT Play
  • airbot_set_zero: Calibrate the zero position of the robot

Detailed usage of these tools can be found in the tools tutorial.

To install airbot_play, run the following command (replace <version> with the actual version number): 

sudo apt install ./packages/airbot_play_<version>_amd64.deb

Run the following command to validate the installation: 

airbot_read_params -v
# Example output:
# 2.8.3-4f625187

2. Example Tools airbot_tools

Note

airbot_tools is an example tools package that depends on the basic control library package airbot_play. It contains several tools for AIRBOT Play, for quick testing and debugging. The tools include:

  • airbot_kbd_ctrl: An example toolkit to control AIRBOT Play using the keyboard
  • airbot_sync: Launch two AIRBOT Play arms in synchronization mode, making one following another

Detailed usage of these tools can be found in the tools tutorial.

To install airbot_tools, run the following command (replace <version> with the actual version number): 

sudo apt install ./packages/airbot_tools_<version>_amd64.deb

Run the following command to validate the installation: 

airbot_kbd_ctrl -v
# Example output:
# 2.8.3-4f625187

3. ROS Interface ros_interface

Note

ros_interface is a ROS 1 interface package that depends on the basic control library package airbot_play. It provides ROS 1 support for AIRBOT Play, allowing you to control the robot using ROS 1 Noetic.

To install ros_interface, run the following command (replace <version> with the actual version number): 

sudo apt install ./packages/ros-noetic-ros-interface_<version>_amd64.deb

4. Python Interface airbot

Note

airbot is a Python package that provides support for AIRBOT Play. It is a pybind11 wrapper for the basic control library package airbot_play.

To install airbot, run the following commands: 

unzip sdk-develop-python.zip
cd sdk-develop-python
sudo python3 setup.py install