# Gamepad Teleoperation for Robotic Arm—A New Intuitive Control Experience

**URL:** <https://discourse.openrobotics.org/t/gamepad-teleoperation-for-robotic-arm-a-new-intuitive-control-experience/50664>\
**Category:** ROS General\
**Tags:** kinetic, ros2, arm, ros, robotics\
**Created:** [October 23, 2025, 10:36am UTC](https://discourse.openrobotics.org/t/gamepad-teleoperation-for-robotic-arm-a-new-intuitive-control-experience/50664 "2025-10-23T10:36:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Agilex\_Robotics](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/user_avatar/discourse.openrobotics.org/agilex_robotics/32/10554_2.png) [@Agilex\_Robotics](https://discourse.openrobotics.org/u/Agilex_Robotics)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 10:36am UTC](https://discourse.openrobotics.org/t/gamepad-teleoperation-for-robotic-arm-a-new-intuitive-control-experience/50664/1 "2025-10-23T10:36:28Z")

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Hi everyone! 👋

I’d like to share a project that enables intuitive control of the PiPER robotic arm using a standard gamepad. This might be useful for those working on robotic arm teleoperation or looking for a ready-to-use control interface.

* * *

## Overview

This project provides precise and intuitive control of the PiPER robotic arm through a conventional game controller in a visual environment. It supports multiple kinematics libraries and offers both joint-space and task-space control modes.

[![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/ros/original/3X/2/e/2ee5d2a8e7f5600d0955afe98e6252975f6a0063.jpeg "Control a Robotic Arm Like a Game! 🎮") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smTTbOfdTlk)

**Key Features:**

- Gamepad-based teleoperation
- Joint control and Pose control modes
- Gripper control with intuitive triggers
- Forward/Inverse kinematics support
- Web-based visualization
- Position memory and playback

**Repository:** [GitHub - kehuanjack/Gamepad\_PiPER: This project implements the functionality of teleoperating a PiPER robotic arm using a gamepad.](https://github.com/kehuanjack/Gamepad_PiPER)  
**Organization:** [GitHub - agilexrobotics/Agilex-College: Agilex College](https://github.com/agilexrobotics/Agilex-College)

 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/ros/original/3X/8/6/865f370f9b47136339dcc26a8318986b6b485f92.jpeg)

* * *

## Environment Setup

**Requirements:**

- Operating System: Ubuntu 20.04 or higher
- Python: 3.9 or higher (Anaconda/Miniconda recommended)

**Installation:**

```bash
git clone https://github.com/kehuanjack/Gamepad_PiPER.git
cd Gamepad_PiPER

```

**Choose your kinematics library** (cuRobo recommended):

> **Option 1: pinocchio library (Python 3.9)**
>
> ```bash conda create -n test_pinocchio python=3.9.* -y conda activate test_pinocchio pip3 install -r requirements_common.txt --upgrade conda install pinocchio=3.6.0 -c conda-forge pip install meshcat casadi ```
> 
> **Note:** Requires [piper\_ros](https://github.com/agilexrobotics/piper_ros) installation and sourcing the ROS workspace.
> 
> Select in `main.py` and `main_virtual.py`:
> 
> ```python
> from src.gamepad_pin import RoboticArmController
> 
> ```

> **Option 2: PyRoKi library (Python ≥ 3.10)**
>
> ```bash conda create -n test_pyroki python=3.10.* -y conda activate test_pyroki pip3 install -r requirements_common.txt --upgrade pip3 install pyroki@git+https://github.com/chungmin99/pyroki.git@f234516 ```
> 
> Select in `main.py` and `main_virtual.py`:
> 
> ```python
> from src.gamepad_limit import RoboticArmController
> # or
> from src.gamepad_no_limit import RoboticArmController
> 
> ```

> **Option 3: cuRobo library (Python ≥ 3.8, CUDA 11.8 recommended) ⭐**
>
> ```bash conda create -n test_curobo python=3.10.* -y conda activate test_curobo pip3 install -r requirements_common.txt --upgrade sudo apt install git-lfs && cd ../ git clone https://github.com/NVlabs/curobo.git && cd curobo pip3 install "numpy\<2.0" "torch==2.0.0" pytest lark pip3 install -e . --no-build-isolation python3 -m pytest . cd ../Gamepad_PiPER ```
> 
> Select in `main.py` and `main_virtual.py`:
> 
> ```python
> from src.gamepad_curobo import RoboticArmController
> 
> ```

* * *

## Quick Start

1. **Connect robotic arm and activate CAN:**

```bash
   sudo ip link set can0 up type can bitrate 1000000

```

1. **Connect gamepad** via USB or Bluetooth

2. **Launch control service:**

```bash
   python3 main_virtual.py # Recommended for first-time testing
   # or
   python3 main.py # For real robot control

```

1. **Open web interface:** Navigate to `http://localhost:8080` for visualization

* * *

## Gamepad Control Mapping

### Button Functions

| Button | Short Press | Long Press |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **HOME** | Connect/Disconnect arm | - |
| **START** | Switch upper control mode (Joint/Pose) | Switch lower control mode |
| **BACK** | Switch command mode (0x00/0xAD) | - |
| **Y** | Return to zero position | - |
| **A** | Save current position | Clear saved position |
| **B** | Restore last saved position | - |
| **X** | Toggle playback order | Clear all positions |
| **LB** | Increase speed factor | Decrease speed factor |
| **RB** | Increase movement speed | Decrease movement speed |

### Joysticks & Triggers

| Control | Joint Mode | Pose Mode |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Left Stick** | J1 (Left/Right), J2 (Up/Down) | End-effector X/Y movement |
| **Right Stick** | J3 (Up/Down), J6 (Left/Right) | End-effector Z & rotation around Z |
| **D-pad** | J4 (Left/Right), J5 (Up/Down) | End-effector rotation around X/Y |
| **LT** | Close gripper | Close gripper |
| **RT** | Open gripper | Open gripper |

### Additional Features

- **Gripper Control:** 0-100% range with quick toggle at extremes
- **Speed Control:** 0.25x to 5.0x multipliers, 10%-100% movement speed
- **Position Memory:** Save multiple waypoints with sequential/reverse playback

* * *

## ⚠ Safety Warnings

- **Start with virtual testing:** Run `main_virtual.py` first
- **Begin at low speeds** until familiar with controls
- **Maintain safe distance** during operation
- **Beware of singularities:** Numerical IK solutions may cause sudden joint movements
- **Quick response mode (0xAD) is dangerous:** Use with extreme caution

* * *

## Contributing & Feedback

Feel free to try it out and share your feedback! Issues and pull requests are welcome on the [GitHub repository](https://github.com/kehuanjack/Gamepad_PiPER).

Has anyone else worked on similar gamepad teleoperation projects? Would love to hear about your experiences!

Cheers! 🤖

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![christian](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/user_avatar/discourse.openrobotics.org/christian/32/14876_2.png) [@christian](https://discourse.openrobotics.org/u/christian)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 11:15am UTC](https://discourse.openrobotics.org/t/gamepad-teleoperation-for-robotic-arm-a-new-intuitive-control-experience/50664/2 "2025-10-23T11:15:40Z")

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Is this using MoveIt Servo? I.e. how does this compare to [Realtime Arm Servoing — MoveIt Documentation: Humble documentation](https://moveit.picknik.ai/humble/doc/examples/realtime_servo/realtime_servo_tutorial.html)? This joystick/gamepad example node was removed in jazzy, it would be quite useful to have this support enabled again.