The recent integration of Nvidia’s PhysX 4 into Unity has revolutionized robotics simulation. This guide will walk you through the steps to set up and explore the various capabilities of the Unity Robotics Demos, including utilizing the new articulation joint system and manual controls for robot arms.
What You Need
- Unity version 2020.1.0b1 or later
- Access to Unity Hub for downloading the latest version
Step 1: Installing Unity
If you don’t have Unity 2020.1.0b1 or a later version, you can add it through Unity Hub. Ensure that you download the latest beta release. The demo has been last tested on Unity 2020.1.0b5, so it is advisable to use this version or later.
Step 2: Clone the Articulations Robot Demo Repository
To get started, clone the repository where the demo is hosted. Open your terminal and run the following command:
git clone https://github.com/Unity-Technologies/articulations-robot-demo.gitNext, open the ArmRobot project in Unity.
Step 3: Controlling the UR3 Robot Arm
This simulation shows the Universal Robotics UR3e robot. You can control it by directly rotating any of its six joints. To get started, open the scene ArticulationRobot and press play.
Manual Controls for the Robot Arm
You can manually move the robot using these keyboard commands:
- A/D – rotate base joint
- S/W – rotate shoulder joint
- Q/E – rotate elbow joint
- O/P – rotate wrist1
- K/L – rotate wrist2
- N/M – rotate wrist3
- V – rotate hand
- X – close pincher
- Z – open pincher
To disable manual control, simply uncheck the ManualInput object in the Hierarchy window. For more insights into building this robot with articulations, refer to our guide here.
Step 4: Using the Robotiq Hand-E Gripper
This simulation demonstrates how to use the Robotiq Hand-E Gripper. Open the scene GripperScene and press play to see how it can pick up objects like cubes and drop them.
Manual Controls for the Gripper
Utilize the following keyboard controls:
- G – move down
- H – move up
- X – close pincher
- Z – open pincher
Step 5: Integrating ML-Agents
The Articulation Robot Demo integrates with the ML-Agents Toolkit. You can explore this feature on the ML-Agents branch. Please note that the integration might not be up to date with the latest master version.
Troubleshooting Tips
If you encounter issues during installation or while using the demos, here are some troubleshooting ideas:
- Make sure you have the correct version of Unity installed.
- If you face errors while cloning the repository, check your internet connection and try again.
- Ensure all dependencies are installed as per Unity’s requirements.
- For graphical issues, check your GPU drivers or adjust Unity’s graphics settings.
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