JackBot — Hexapod Control & Simulation

Purpose

• Overview: JackBot is a Python project for controlling and simulating a six-legged (hexapod) robot. It computes foot trajectories, runs inverse kinematics against a URDF model, and sends joint commands to either a hardware controller (ESP32 / Arduino) or a PyBullet simulation.

Setup Dependencies and Virtual Enviroment

• Python packages: At minimum the project uses numpy, pygame, ikpy, pybullet, pyserial, and matplotlib.
• Install (recommended inside a venv):

Linux / macOS (Bash):

python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install numpy pygame ikpy pybullet pyserial matplotlib

Windows (PowerShell):

python -m venv .venv
.\.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1
pip install numpy pygame ikpy pybullet pyserial matplotlib

If PowerShell blocks activation, run:

Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope Process -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned
.\.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1

Quick Start

• Simulation: enable the simulator in config.py by setting sim = True, then run:

python3 main.py

• Hardware: set sim = False in config.py and choose arduinoConnection = True or provide your ESP32 settings. Verify port, baudrate, esp32_ip, and esp32_port in config.py.

Project structure (key files)

• Entry point: main.py — starts the controller and state loop.
• Controller: Controller.py — joystick input and ControlIntent updates.
• Kinematics: kinematics.py — URDF-based forward/inverse kinematics using IKPy.
• Simulation: simulation.py — PyBullet visualization and joint control.
• Hardware comms: EspCommunication.py and ArduinoCommunication.py — send commands to ESP32 or Arduino.
• Runtime globals: GlobalVariables.py — central runtime objects and flags.
• Types: DataTypes.py — PosArray, DegArray, RadArray, ControlIntent.
• States: RobotState/idle.py and RobotState/walking.py — state machine implementations.
• Config: config.py — ports, flags (sim, arduinoConnection), URDF path, timing values.

How it works

• main.py creates a ControlIntent and RobotContext, starts the controller thread, and runs a state loop. The WalkingState computes per-leg foot paths (Bezier/linear), converts positions to joint angles with kinematics.ikpyInverse(), then sends commands to hardware or updates the simulator.

Configuration notes

• URDF: the robot description file is JackBotUrdf.urdf; ensure the path in config.py (urdf_path) is correct.
• Timing: step timing and tick rate are configured in config.py (standard_duration, standard_tickpersec).

Suggested next steps

• Add a requirements.txt or pyproject.toml for reproducible installs.
• Document hardware wiring and expected serial/ESP packet formats if you plan to use hardware.
• Provide an example config.py for common setups (sim vs hardware).

License & Contributing

• No license file included. Add LICENSE if you want to publish or share.
• Contributions: open an issue or PR with improvements; add tests for kinematics if possible.