Animated Robot Controller#

Overview#

The isaacsim.anim.robot extension provides functionality for generating animated robots in Isaac Sim Replicator Agent (IRA). This extension is powered by Behavior Script , which enables reactive behavior based on USD stage events.

isaacsim.anim.robot generates animated robots by first simulating the robot, capturing its motion data, and then playing it back in the form of commands. Robots are simulated by isaacsim.robot,wheeled_robots for motions such as moving forward and turning round, which is recorded by omni.kit.stagerecorder.core. Then, these motion capture data are converted into commands such as GoTo and Idle.
Currently, isaacsim.anim.robot supports Nova Carter and iw.hub robots, However, custom actors can be added by setting up its dataclass. Refer to IRA Robot Behaviors for more information.

Customization#

Robot behavior and animation can be customized by modifying the agent dataclass configuration located at: {Isaac Sim App Path}/extcache/isaacsim.anim.robot/isaacsim/anim/robot/agent/{robot type}

Robot Attributes#

The following attributes can be configured for each robot actor:

  • agent_name (str): Unique identifier for the agent

  • linear_velocity (float): Forward movement speed in meters per second (m/s)

  • angular_velocity (float): Turning speed in degrees per second (deg/s)

  • forward_vec (list): Initial forward direction vector

  • joints (list): List of USD prims that can be animated. For example, iw.hub uses:

    [
    "/chassis/lift",
    "/chassis/left_wheel",
    "/chassis/right_wheel",
    "/chassis/left_swivel/left_caster",
    "/chassis/right_swivel/right_caster",
    "/chassis/left_swivel",
    "/chassis/right_swivel"
]

  • drive_base (str): Robot’s drive system type. Supported values: differential, omni_directional

  • transitions (dict): State transition graph defining robot behavior

  • animation_paths (dict): Mapping of joint names to animation file paths

  • asset_path (str): Path to the robot’s USD asset file

Customizing Animations#

To create custom animations:

  1. Simulate the robot in Isaac Sim

  2. Use omni.kit.stagerecorder.core to capture motion data

  3. Update the animation_paths attribute with new animation file paths

Animation files should be organized in state-specific folders. For example, iw.hub’s turn-left animation is located at: {Isaac Sim App Path}/extcache/isaacsim.anim.robot/data/iw_hub/turn_left/

Each joint’s animation data should be stored in a file named after the joint.

For more information about robot behaviors, see IRA Robot Behaviors.