GCODE Drawing

A relatively simple GCODE interpreter for Spot.

Can be used to draw with sidewalk chalk or similar. You can configure it by changing values in gcode.cfg, in this directory.

Currently understands the following GCODE commands:

G00     fast positioning
G01     straight line motion

G02     clockwise arc
G03     counterclockwise arc

M0      program pause

Many programs can produce GCODE output. Inkscape has a plugin that we’ve tested successfully with this example.

Consider using a simple gcode simulator before running your program.

Drawing with Chalk

To draw with chalk, we recommend a very large piece of chalk. The image below was drawn with a stick of chalk 1.5 inches in diameter and 5 inches long. We taped the chalk to the gripper using gaffer’s tape. A tool_length value can be set in gcode.cfg to account for the length of chalk held by the gripper.

Chalk Drawing of Boston Dynamics Logo

Details

This example uses the ArmSurfaceContact mode of the robot to perform the drawing. It is possible to knock the robot over in this mode, so be careful when tuning parameters.

Understanding Spot Programming

For your best learning experience, please use the Quickstart Guide found in the SDK’s docs/python directory. That will help you get your Python programming environment set up properly.

Common Problems

  1. Remember, you will need to launch a software e-stop separately. The E-Stop programming example is here.

  2. Make sure the Motor Enable button on the Spot rear panel is depressed.

  3. Make sure Spot is sitting upright, with the battery compartment on the side closest the floor.

Setup Dependencies

This example requires the bosdyn API and client to be installed, and must be run using python3. Using pip, these dependencies can be installed using:

python3 -m pip install -r requirements.txt

Run the Example

To run the example:

python3 gcode.py ROBOT_IP