Trossen AI Firmware 1.8.1 Changelog

For the complete changelog, visit the Trossen Arm Documentation.

v1.8.1 – Trossen Arm Driver

• Updated mode switching logic to no longer skip joints whose mode did not change.

• This resolves trossen_arm#71, which caused unexpected arm movement during mode transitions.

• The root cause was that the interpolation space resets to joint mode, requiring the interpolator to also reset. Without this, Cartesian values could be incorrectly interpreted as joint values.

⚠️ Note: Trossen Arm Driver v1.8.0 has been yanked due to potentially unsafe behavior on mode switching.

v1.8.0 – Trossen Arm Driver

• New effort mode: Allows commanding joint efforts without built-in compensation, providing full control over joint efforts. Learn more.

• Grouped outputs: Introduced trossen_arm::RobotOutput class, consolidating outputs with additional fields:

  • compensation_efforts

  • rotor_temperatures

  • driver_temperatures

  • cartesian.positions

  • cartesian.velocities

  • cartesian.external_efforts

• Enhanced getter methods: Added methods to extract members of trossen_arm::RobotOutput, such as:

  • get_all_positions()

  • get_arm_positions()

  • get_gripper_position()

  • get_joint_position()

  • get_cartesian_positions()

  • ...and corresponding methods for velocities, efforts, external efforts, compensation efforts, rotor temperatures, and driver temperatures.

• Deprecated old getters: The following methods are deprecated and will be removed in the next major release:

  • get_positions()

  • get_velocities()

  • get_efforts()

  • get_external_efforts()

  • get_compensation_efforts()

• Cartesian input commands: Added methods for commanding Cartesian inputs with respect to a tool frame. Demonstrated in the following scripts:

  • cartesian_position

  • cartesian_velocity

  • cartesian_external_effort

• Soft reboot capability: Enabled soft reboot of the controller via the driver. Demonstrated in the set_factory_reset_flag script.

• Configuration enhancements: Added and revised configurations:

  • Added:

    • Joint Limits

    • Motor Parameters

    • Algorithm Parameter

    • trossen_arm::EndEffector::pitch_circle_radius

    • trossen_arm::EndEffector::t_flange_tool

  • Removed:

    • continuity_factor in trossen_arm::JointCharacteristic

    • t_max_factor in trossen_arm::EndEffector

• Improved driver-controller connection: Enhanced user-friendliness with retry mechanisms, timeouts, and allowing interruptions.

• C++ data type update: Switched from float to double for all data types, improving compatibility with modern libraries.

Trossen Arm Controller Firmware

• Effort mode support: Added the associated interface for the new effort mode.

• Temperature outputs: Included rotor and driver temperatures in the output.

• Soft reboot interface: Enabled soft reboot functionality.

• Configuration interfaces: Exposed interfaces for new configurations.

• Output checks: Implemented checks on outputs according to joint limits and on inputs for infinite values.

• Removed deprecated checks: Eliminated the continuity check.

• Robust communication handling:

  • UDP: Used exclusively for control.

  • TCP: Handles all other communication.

  • Connection loss: Controller returns to idle mode if the connection is lost.

  • Driver connections: Only one driver is accepted at a time.

• Revised default configurations: Updated to more reasonable values, specifically for:

  • Joint Limits

  • Motor Parameters

For further details and updates, please refer to the Trossen Arm Documentation.