Dofbot Control System

A comprehensive control system for the Dofbot robotic arm featuring AI-powered vision, web interfaces, and real-time camera integration.

🤖 Overview

This project provides multiple interfaces for controlling a Dofbot robotic arm:

• AI Brain: Python-based control system with RealSense camera integration and computer vision
• Web Controller: Flask-based onboard web server for HTTP API control
• Simple Control: Next.js web interface for browser-based robot control

📁 Project Structure

dofbot/
├── ai-brain/           # AI-powered control system with camera integration
│   ├── main.py         # Main control loop with interactive keyboard controls
│   ├── dofbot_api.py   # Python API client for robot communication
│   └── utils.py        # RealSense camera utilities
├── onboard/            # Flask web server for onboard robot control
│   ├── app.py          # Flask application (runs on robot)
│   └── README.md       # Onboard setup instructions
└── simple-control/     # Next.js web interface
    ├── src/            # React components and pages
    ├── package.json    # Node.js dependencies
    └── README.md       # Web interface setup

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Hardware: Dofbot robotic arm with onboard computer
• Cameras: Intel RealSense depth cameras (optional, for AI brain)
• Network: Robot and control computer on same network

1. Setup Onboard Robot Controller

Deploy the Flask web server to your robot's onboard computer:

# On the robot (Raspberry Pi/similar)
cd onboard/
pip install flask opencv-python
python app.py

The robot will be accessible at http://[robot-ip]:5000

2. AI Brain Control (Development Machine)

For advanced control with camera integration:

cd ai-brain/
pip install opencv-python pyrealsense2 requests numpy
python main.py

Controls:

• a/z: Servo 1 (base rotation)
• s/x: Servo 2 (shoulder)
• d/c: Servo 3 (elbow)
• f/v: Servo 4 (wrist pitch)
• g/b: Servo 5 (wrist rotation)
• h/n: Servo 6 (gripper)
• 1-5: Set movement step size
• ESC: Exit

3. Web Interface

For browser-based control:

cd simple-control/
npm install
npm run dev

Access at http://localhost:3000

🔧 Configuration

Robot Connection

Update the robot IP address in ai-brain/main.py:

robot = DofbotApi(ip="192.168.31.157")  # Change to your robot's IP

Camera Setup

The AI brain automatically detects connected RealSense cameras. Ensure cameras are connected before running.

📡 API Reference

Robot Control Endpoints

Endpoint	Method	Description
/angles	GET	Get current servo angles
/home	GET	Move to home position (90° all servos)
/set_angles	GET	Set servo angles with parameters

Set Angles Parameters

GET /set_angles?angles=A,B,C,D,E,F&t=T

• angles: Comma-separated angles for 6 servos
• t: Movement time in milliseconds (default: 5000)

Servo Ranges:

• Servo 1 (Base): 10° - 170°
• Servo 2 (Shoulder): 15° - 165°
• Servo 3 (Elbow): 15° - 165°
• Servo 4 (Wrist pitch): 10° - 170°
• Servo 5 (Wrist rotation): 10° - 260°
• Servo 6 (Gripper): 10° - 170°

🎯 Features

AI Brain

• Real-time camera feeds: Multiple RealSense depth + RGB cameras
• Interactive control: Keyboard-based servo control
• Visual feedback: Live camera display with depth mapping
• Flexible movement: Adjustable step sizes and movement speeds

Web Controller

• HTTP API: RESTful endpoints for robot control
• Safety limits: Automatic angle constraint enforcement
• Service integration: Systemd service for auto-start
• Cross-platform: Works with any HTTP client

Simple Control Interface

• Modern web UI: React-based control interface
• Real-time updates: Live robot status and control
• Responsive design: Works on desktop and mobile
• State management: Redux for application state

🛠️ Development

Adding New Features

1. Robot API: Extend DofbotApi class in ai-brain/dofbot_api.py
2. Camera processing: Add functions to ai-brain/utils.py
3. Web endpoints: Add routes to onboard/app.py
4. UI components: Add React components to simple-control/src/

Testing

# Test robot connection
python -c "from ai_brain.dofbot_api import DofbotApi; print(DofbotApi('192.168.31.157').connected)"

# Test camera setup
python -c "from ai_brain.utils import all_devices; print(f'{len(all_devices())} cameras found')"

📋 Dependencies

Python (AI Brain & Onboard)

• opencv-python: Computer vision and image processing
• pyrealsense2: Intel RealSense camera SDK
• requests: HTTP client for API communication
• numpy: Numerical computing
• flask: Web framework (onboard only)

Node.js (Simple Control)

• next: React framework
• react: UI library
• @reduxjs/toolkit: State management
• react-redux: React-Redux bindings

🔒 Safety Notes

• Always ensure robot workspace is clear before operation
• Servo angle limits are enforced to prevent mechanical damage
• Emergency stop: Press ESC in AI brain mode or close browser tab
• Test movements at low speeds initially

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

📞 Support

For issues and questions:

• Check existing issues in the repository
• Create a new issue with detailed description
• Include robot model, OS, and error messages

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Happy robot controlling! 🤖