soarm-control_skill

Overview

This skill controls the SOARM101 robotic arm for precise motion and state inspection. It provides coordinate-based end-effector driving, direct joint-angle commands, and status/disable utilities. The skill is implemented as Python scripts that run in a dedicated conda environment and use inverse kinematics for XYZ control.

How this skill works

The preferred interface is pinocchio_xyz_drive.py, which accepts X/Y/Z coordinates and computes joint angles using an inverse kinematics solver before commanding the arm. For exact joint configurations, soarm_set_joints.py sets individual joint angles directly. Additional scripts allow querying arm status and disabling the arm. A calibration JSON must be placed in the lerobot calibration path for correct kinematics.

When to use it

• Move the end effector to a specific XYZ point in workspace using inverse kinematics.
• Position the arm to a precise preset or calibration pose by specifying joint angles.
• Query the arm’s current status or disable the arm safely.
• Perform continuous coordinated moves where maintaining the serial connection reduces latency.
• Test or tune calibration and kinematics after hardware or firmware changes.

Best practices

• Use pinocchio_xyz_drive.py for general positioning and soarm_set_joints.py for exact preset poses.
• Run scripts inside the 'lerobot' conda environment with pinocchio installed.
• Copy the provided calibration JSON to the lerobot calibration directory before first use.
• Use --keep-connected for sequences of moves to avoid repeated reconnect delays.
• Start with low speeds (e.g., --max-joint-speed-deg 10) for the first runs and verify clear workspace.

Example use cases

• Move the gripper to X=0.2, Y=0.0, Z=0.1 to pick a small object on a table.
• Drive joints to the 'home' preset for a known safe starting pose before a task.
• Scan desktop area by moving to look_desktop preset then running vision routines.
• Execute a multi-step motion sequence while keeping the connection open to reduce latency.
• Disable the arm remotely after maintenance or if an emergency stop is required.