Robotic Arm Programming
Pick-and-place with MoveIt, grippers and vision.
Taught by Sristi Maharjan · Robotics Engineer
What you'll learn
- Describe arm anatomy, degrees of freedom, workspace and tool centre point and how they constrain a task
- Configure a manipulator in MoveIt 2 with the Setup Assistant, SRDF planning groups and ros2_control
- Plan and execute joint-space and Cartesian motions from Python with moveit_py and the planning scene
- Command a gripper through the GripperCommand action and design grasps with approach and retreat
- Calibrate a camera, detect ArUco markers and transform object poses into the robot base frame
- Assemble a safe, collision-aware pick-and-place routine and explain the relevant ISO safety standards
About this course
Robot arms and collaborative robots are the workhorses of manufacturing, logistics and lab automation, and MoveIt 2 is the standard open-source motion-planning framework for programming them on ROS 2. This intermediate course takes you from arm anatomy to a complete simulated pick-and-place cell. You will learn how joints, workspaces and tool centre points define what an arm can reach, configure a robot in MoveIt with the Setup Assistant and ros2_control, plan collision-free motions with the moveit_py Python API, command grippers and design reliable grasps with approach and retreat moves, and use camera calibration and ArUco markers to locate objects in the robot's frame. A dedicated lesson covers collision objects, speed limits and the ISO safety standards that govern collaborative operation. It is intended for engineers, technicians and students who know basic ROS 2 and Python and want practical skills for automation, cobot integration and research work with manipulators.
Course content
6 lessons- 1Arm Anatomy and the Pick-and-Place ProblemJoints, degrees of freedom, workspace and tool centre point, and what MoveIt 2 does; run the demo.Preview
- 2Configuring a Robot in MoveIt 2Use the Setup Assistant to create an SRDF, planning groups and ros2_control configuration for your arm.
- 3Motion Planning from Python with moveit_pyPlan joint-space and Cartesian motions, set constraints, and manage the planning scene from Python.
- 4Grippers and GraspingCommand a gripper through actions, choose grasp poses, and structure grasps as approach, close, lift and retreat.
- 5Adding Vision: From Camera Pixels to Object PosesCalibrate a camera, detect ArUco markers, and transform object poses into the robot base frame through TF.
- 6Safety and the Pick-and-Place ProjectApply collision objects, speed limits and ISO safety principles, then assemble the complete simulated pick-and-place cell.