TM ROS 2

ROS 2 Humble packages for Techman robots, including the core driver, message definitions, robot descriptions, MoveIt configurations, Gazebo launches, image transport utilities, and a small inspection GUI.

This repository is the TM ROS 2 workspace for:

• connecting to a real TM robot through TMflow
• launching MoveIt for supported robot models
• running Gazebo simulation
• receiving TM vision images
• using the lightweight inspection GUI

For the detailed vendor walkthroughs, screenshots, and TMflow-specific setup notes, see the documents in doc.

Packages

• tm_driver: core robot driver
• tm_msgs: ROS interfaces used by the driver
• tm_description: URDF/Xacro robot models
• tm_moveit: MoveIt configurations for supported TM robots
• tm_gazebo: Gazebo simulation launches
• tm_image: TM vision image publisher support
• image_sub: simple image subscriber example
• tm_inspect: GUI for connection and message inspection
• demo: example client programs

Supported robot variants

The MoveIt and Gazebo packages include launch files for:

• tm5s, tm6s, tm7s, tm12s, tm14s, tm20s, tm25s, tm30s
• tm5sx, tm6sx, tm7sx, tm12sx, tm14sx, tm20sx, tm25sx, tm30sx

In the examples below, replace <tm_robot_type> with one of those names.

Prerequisites

• Ubuntu with ROS 2 Humble installed
• TMflow configured on the robot controller
• Robot and PC on the same network
• A TMflow Listen node project running before starting the ROS driver

For a real robot connection, make sure:

1. The robot has a static IP address.
2. Your PC is on the same subnet and can ping the robot.
3. TMflow Ethernet Slave is configured and enabled.
4. A TMflow Listen task is running.

The full TMflow setup walkthrough is in tm_humble.md.

Build

Create or enter a ROS 2 workspace, clone this repository into src, install dependencies, and build:

source /opt/ros/humble/setup.bash
mkdir -p ~/tm2_ws/src
cd ~/tm2_ws/src
git clone -b humble https://github.com/TechmanRobotInc/tm2_ros2.git
cd ..
rosdep install --from-paths src --ignore-src -r -y
colcon build --cmake-args -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
source install/setup.bash

If you add packages later or want a clean rebuild:

cd ~/tm2_ws
rm -rf build install log
source /opt/ros/humble/setup.bash
colcon build --cmake-args -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
source install/setup.bash

Launch instructions

Source the workspace in every new terminal before running any command:

source /opt/ros/humble/setup.bash
cd ~/tm2_ws
source install/setup.bash

Bring up the driver

Use this for a direct connection to a real robot through TMflow:

ros2 launch tm_driver tm_bringup.launch.py robot_ip:=192.168.10.2

The equivalent direct executable is:

ros2 run tm_driver tm_driver robot_ip:=192.168.10.2

Launch MoveIt with a real robot

The MoveIt launch already starts the TM driver, so do not run a second driver in another terminal for the same robot IP.

ros2 launch <tm_robot_type>_moveit_config <tm_robot_type>_run_move_group.launch.py robot_ip:=192.168.10.2

Example:

ros2 launch tm12s_moveit_config tm12s_run_move_group.launch.py robot_ip:=192.168.10.2

Launch MoveIt in simulation

ros2 launch <tm_robot_type>_moveit_config <tm_robot_type>_run_move_group.launch.py

Example:

ros2 launch tm12s_moveit_config tm12s_run_move_group.launch.py

Launch Gazebo

ros2 launch tm_gazebo <tm_robot_type>_gazebo.launch.py

Example:

ros2 launch tm_gazebo tm12s_gazebo.launch.py

Launch MoveIt with Gazebo

Simulation:

ros2 launch <tm_robot_type>_moveit_config <tm_robot_type>_run_move_group_gz.launch.py

Real robot with the Gazebo-integrated launch path:

ros2 launch <tm_robot_type>_moveit_config <tm_robot_type>_run_move_group_gz.launch.py robot_ip:=192.168.10.2 sim:=False

Run the inspection GUI

ros2 launch tm_inspect tm_gui.launch.py

Run TM vision image publisher and subscriber

Start the image bridge node:

ros2 run tm_image image_talker

In another terminal, view the received image stream:

ros2 run image_sub sub_img

TM vision setup on the robot side is documented in tm_humble.md.

Run demo programs

Examples in the demo package exercise services and motion commands exposed by the driver:

ros2 run demo demo_send_script
ros2 run demo demo_set_io
ros2 run demo demo_set_positions

See tm_humble_demo.md for the full demo descriptions.

Recommended workflow for a real robot

1. Configure networking and TMflow Ethernet Slave / Listen on the robot.
2. Verify connectivity with ping <robot_ip> from the ROS PC.
3. Start the driver with tm_bringup.launch.py or start the relevant MoveIt launch.
4. Use RViz, services, actions, or the demo nodes from a second terminal.

Notes

• Running two TM drivers against the same robot IP is not supported.
• MoveIt real-robot launches can move the robot immediately. Use appropriate safety procedures.
• For Gazebo and MoveIt dependency details, see tm_humble_extension.md.
• For TM-specific kinematic parameter generation, see tm_humble_description.md.
• For the inspection GUI, see tm_humble_gui.md.

Documentation

• tm_humble.md: TMflow setup, networking, listen node, and vision setup
• tm_humble_demo.md: demo programs
• tm_humble_extension.md: MoveIt and Gazebo usage
• tm_humble_description.md: robot-specific description generation
• tm_humble_gui.md: inspection GUI