Hardware Compatibility and Validation#

Important

WMX R2 does not “work with any robot”.

WMX R2 controls EtherCAT servo drives. Whether it can drive your robot depends on whether the drives speak EtherCAT CoE in a supported mode, whether an EtherCAT Network Information (ENI) file exists for them, and whether someone has produced and verified a correct parameter set, URDF, and planning configuration for that specific machine.

The robots below are the ones for which this project ships a parameter set and a configuration. Everything else is an integration project, not a configuration change.

Status definitions#

Status	Meaning
Validated	Run on the physical robot by MOVENSYS. A verified parameter file, URDF, and application configuration are shipped, and the listed functions were exercised on hardware.
Reference implementation	A complete, shipped configuration that is exercised in simulation and HIL. Treat the hardware parameters as a starting point to be verified per unit, following Robot Parameter Configuration and Validation and Commissioning and First Motion.
Experimental	Present in the repository but incomplete, unverified, or subject to change. Not intended for use on a physical robot.
Not supported	No shipped configuration. Requires an integration project.

Note

Status applies to a robot model plus a function, not to a robot model alone. A model validated for trajectory execution is not thereby validated for perception-driven picking.

Robot matrix#

Robot	Axes	Status	Parameter file	Notes
Dobot CR3A	6 + gripper	Validated	`cr3a_wmx_parameters.xml`	The reference platform. Trajectory, gripper, AprilTag, YOLO, Nvblox, and the Robopoly application are all configured for this arm.
Dobot CR5A	6	Validated (trajectory only)	`cr5a_wmx_parameters.xml`	Trajectory execution and keyboard/Servo jogging only. No gripper and no perception configuration is shipped — see the function matrix.
Differential-drive base (`diffbot`)	2	Validated	`diffbot_wmx_parameters.xml`	Velocity-mode axes (`AxisCommandMode = 1`) driven by `differential_drive_controller`, with Nav2, EKF, and SLAM Toolbox.
Any other EtherCAT servo system	—	Not supported	—	The general nodes expose axis, I/O, engine, and EtherCAT control for arbitrary EtherCAT devices, but no robot-level configuration is shipped. See Bringing up a robot that is not listed.

Function matrix#

Function	Dobot CR3A	Dobot CR5A	diffbot
General nodes (engine, axis, I/O, EtherCAT)	Validated	Validated	Validated
Joint state feedback	Validated	Validated	Validated
`FollowJointTrajectory` execution	Validated	Validated	—
MoveIt 2 (OMPL) planning	Validated	Validated	—
Isaac cuMotion planning	Validated	Not configured	—
MoveIt Servo / keyboard jogging	Validated	Reference implementation	—
`ros2_control` hardware interface	Reference implementation	Reference implementation	Reference implementation
Gripper (digital I/O)	Validated	Not configured	—
AprilTag pick and place	Validated	Not configured	—
YOLO pick and place	Validated	Not configured	—
Nvblox obstacle avoidance	Validated	Not configured	—
Robopoly (VLM/LLM application)	Validated	Not configured	—
Nav2 autonomous navigation	—	—	Validated
SLAM mapping	—	—	Validated
Manual teleoperated driving	—	—	Validated

Note

“Not configured” means the repository ships no configuration for that combination — the launch will fail to find its config file rather than run with a wrong one. For the CR5A this covers everything under movensys_manipulator_perception/config/ and movensys_manipulator_isaac_ros_config/config/, both of which contain only dobot_cr3a entries.

Homing, absolute position, brakes, and safety#

Topic	Handling
Homing	Not used on any shipped robot. `AbsoluteEncoderMode = 1` on every axis, so position is known at power-on. The homing service (`/wmx/axis/homing`) and the `HomeParam` block exist and are populated with defaults, but no shipped configuration exercises them. A robot with incremental encoders requires a homing strategy that this project does not provide.
Absolute position	`AbsoluteEncoderHomeOffset = 0.0` on every shipped axis, asserting that the drive’s absolute zero is the URDF zero. Verify this per unit — it is a property of the individual robot, not of the model. See Robot Parameter Configuration and Validation.
Brakes	Not managed by WMX R2. Brake release and engagement are handled by the drive and the robot’s electrical design. Brake behavior on power loss and on emergency stop must be covered by the system risk assessment.
Safety systems	None are provided. WMX R2 is not safety-rated, and the safety functions of the robot manufacturer’s original controller are not available when that controller is bypassed. See Safety Functions and Responsibility.
Soft limits	Disabled (`SoftLimitType = 0`) in all three shipped parameter files. Position limiting exists only in MoveIt’s planning-time check against the URDF.
E-stop input	`EnableEStopSignal = 0` in all three shipped parameter files. The WMX engine’s E-stop input is not configured, and is in any case a functional input rather than a safety function.

Validated parameter files#

The parameter files shipped in wmx_r2_package/config/ are the starting point for the corresponding robot model:

File	Robot	Application config
`cr3a_wmx_parameters.xml`	Dobot CR3A	`cr3a_manipulator_config.yaml`
`cr5a_wmx_parameters.xml`	Dobot CR5A	`cr5a_manipulator_config.yaml`
`diffbot_wmx_parameters.xml`	Differential-drive base	`diffbot_navigation_config.yaml`

Warning

A shipped parameter file describes the robot MOVENSYS commissioned. It is not a guarantee for your unit. Encoder zero, motor mounting orientation, reducer ratio after a repair, and mechanical range can all differ between units of the same model. Re-run Commissioning and First Motion on every physical robot, including a second unit of an already-validated model.

Bringing up a robot that is not listed#

There is no supported path that consists only of editing configuration. At minimum you need:

EtherCAT compatibility. Drives reachable by the WMX EtherCAT master, with an ENI file present in wmx-r2/eni/ for each slave, in a supported CoE mode (position mode for the manipulators, velocity mode for the differential-drive base).
A parameter file. Gear ratio numerator and denominator, polarity, command mode, and limits for every axis, derived from the drive and mechanical specifications — see Robot Parameter Configuration and Validation.
A URDF. Link geometry, joint axes and origins, and position, velocity, and effort limits, consistent with the parameter file.
A planning configuration. SRDF, kinematics, joint limits, and controller configuration for MoveIt 2, or the equivalent Nav2 configuration for a mobile base.
An application YAML. The joint-name to axis-index mapping and the topic, action, and I/O configuration.
Full commissioning. The complete The simulation-first workflow, with the safety architecture in Safety Functions and Responsibility in place first.

Contact your MOVENSYS representative before starting an integration for a robot that is not listed above.