MotoROS2

MotoROS2 is manipulator agnostic but is limited by the supported Yaskawa controller series.

Supported Controllers:

• DX200
• YRC1000
• YRC1000micro

Unsupported Controllers:

• DX100
• FS100

Robot Types:

• Supported: Any robot using the supported controllers (including Scara, Palletizing, and Welding robots where the arm motion is controlled by MotoROS2).
• Not Supported: SDA (dual-arm) robots and Delta robots (due to controller limitations).

Note for Welding Robots: MotoROS2 controls the motion of the arm only. It does not provide process controls and cannot control the welding power source. To control the power source, your ROS 2 application must interface with the welder directly. It is not compatible with UWI or Weldcom2.

If the controller and PC are on different subnets, use one of the following three methods to establish communication:

1. Modify the configuration file: Update the agent_ip_address key in motoros2_config.yaml to an IP address on the robot's subnet. You must then propagate these changes to the Yaskawa controller. Ensure the PC running the micro-ROS agent uses this same static IP on the network port connected to the controller.
2. Modify the controller: Change the robot controller's IP and subnet mask so it matches the PC's subnet.
3. Add a gateway: Modify the robot controller's network settings to add a gateway that can reach the PC's subnet.

The Functional Safety Unit (FSU) can limit robot motion (speed, workspace, or emergency stops).

• In MotoROS2 versions 0.1.1 and older: FSU limitations result in undefined/incomplete trajectory execution with no notification to the client. You must monitor the /joint_states topic to verify if the robot is following the planned trajectory.
• In MotoROS2 versions 0.1.2 and newer: MotoROS2 attempts to execute the complete trajectory, but may do so at a reduced speed if the FSU imposes a limit.

Note for Motion Planners (e.g., MoveIt): You must configure planners to allow for these potential slowdowns to prevent them from prematurely aborting trajectories. MotoROS2 does not currently report FSU activation status or speed reduction ratios.

MotoROS2 currently only supports synchronous motion across all configured motion groups. This means:

1. Motion groups cannot execute independently.
2. Partial goals are not supported: Every goal submitted must include information for all groups and all joints configured on the controller.

Work-around: To simulate motion for only a subset of groups/joints, retrieve the current state of all groups and update the target poses for only the desired groups/joints, while keeping the target poses of all other groups/joints static.

MotoROS2 imposes a hard limit of 200 JointTrajectoryPoints per JointTrajectory within control_msgs/FollowJointTrajectory action goals. This limit is due to controller resource constraints and micro-ROS implementation details.

Important Notes:

• This limit applies to the number of points, not the total time duration.
• MotoROS2 cannot validate if a trajectory is too long or notify the client if it exceeds this limit.
• If a trajectory exceeds the limit, the robot may not receive the command at all.

Work-around: If you need to execute a long motion, split the trajectory into smaller sections, each containing no more than 200 points. Note that this will break motion continuity between sections.

// Example logic for client-side splitting
if (trajectory.points.length > 200) {
  const chunks = splitTrajectory(trajectory, 200);
  // Send chunks sequentially
}

MotoROS2 is built on the micro-ROS stack. Because micro-ROS applications cannot communicate directly with ROS 2 RMWs, a micro-ROS Agent is required.

• Role: Acts as a transparent bridge between MotoROS2 and ROS 2.
• Deployment: The agent must run on the host PC that is sending commands to the MotoROS2 node.
• Requirement: The micro-ROS Agent must always be running for MotoROS2 to function correctly.

Understanding the MotoPlus SDK license requirements for MotoROS2:

• Deployment: Does NOT require a MotoPlus SDK license to run on a supported Yaskawa controller.
• Development (MotoROS2): DOES require a MotoPlus SDK license if you are building MotoROS2 from source.
• Development (ROS 2 App): Does NOT require a MotoPlus SDK license to develop a ROS 2 application that interfaces with MotoROS2.

MotoROS2 (v0.2.1) is not compatible with the following:

• Simple Connect: This application (often used for arc-welding configurations) must be removed to run MotoROS2.
• Absolute Accuracy Compensation: MotoROS2 does not currently support Cartesian motion, so it cannot benefit from this feature. Compatibility for Cartesian motion is under investigation.

To allow the robot controller to communicate with the PC running the micro-ROS Agent, you must set the controller's IP address to a manual setting.

Physical Connection:

• Connect a LAN cable to the LAN port.

Configuration Steps:

1. Boot the controller while holding {MAIN MENU} on the pendant keypad to enter Maintenance mode.
2. Upgrade to MANAGEMENT security level by touching [System Info] $\rightarrow$ [Security] (default password is all 9's).
3. Touch [System Info] $\rightarrow$ [Setup] and select OPTION FUNCTION.
4. Navigate to NETWORK SETTING and then to HOST SETUP.
5. Ensure IP ADDRESS SETTING is set to MANUAL SETTING.
   • Note: If it is not, ensure DNS SETTING and SNTP SETTING are not set to DHCP SETTING before switching to MANUAL SETTING.
6. Press {ENTER} on the pendant keypad and touch [OK].