Piper X Arm Sim

This repository is a modified fork of the original AgileX agx_arm_sim repository.

I use this fork for my Piper X arm setup with ROS 2 Humble, MoveIt 2, and Isaac Sim. The main goal of this fork is to make the Piper X MoveIt setup work cleanly with Isaac Sim by synchronizing MoveIt-related ROS 2 nodes with Isaac Sim simulation time.

This is important because Isaac Sim publishes simulated timestamps through /clock. MoveIt, robot_state_publisher, ros2_control_node, and joint state updates need to use that same simulated clock so planning, controller timing, and joint state feedback stay consistent.

The original AgileX repository content is still available in the master branch of this fork. For the full original documentation and all supported AgileX robot models, refer to that branch or the upstream agilexrobotics/agx_arm_sim repository.

What this fork changes

This branch focuses on the Piper X arm and includes the changes needed for my MoveIt/Isaac Sim workflow:

• Updates MoveIt-related launch files to use Isaac Sim simulation time.
• Sets use_sim_time for nodes such as move_group, robot_state_publisher, and ros2_control_node.
• Keeps MoveIt timing, joint state updates, and controller behavior synchronized with Isaac Sim timestamps.
• Updates controller spawning so the joint state broadcaster, arm controller, and gripper controller load in order.
• Points the URDF submodule to my Piper X-focused URDF fork, which includes a fixed gripper_tcp frame.

Repository structure

piperx_arm_sim/
├── agx_arm_description/
│   └── agx_arm_urdf/                   # Piper X-focused URDF submodule
├── Moveit2/
│   └── piper_x_gripper_moveit_config/  # Piper X MoveIt configuration
├── realsense2_description/             # RealSense camera description package
└── .gitmodules                         # Submodule configuration

Clone the repository

Clone the repository with submodules:

cd ~/piperx_sim_ws/src
git clone --recursive https://github.com/muhammedahmedd/piperx_arm_sim.git agx_arm_sim

If the repository was cloned without --recursive, initialize the submodule manually:

cd ~/piperx_sim_ws/src/piperx_arm_sim
git submodule update --init --recursive

Environment

This repository is intended to be used as a dependency inside a larger ROS 2 Humble workspace.

In my project, the ROS 2 and MoveIt dependencies are handled by the main project Docker setup. This fork only provides the Piper X description and MoveIt configuration files needed by that workspace.

If you are not using the Docker setup from the main project, install the required ROS 2 dependencies manually, including MoveIt 2, ROS 2 control, controller packages, and topic_based_ros2_control.

Build

From the workspace root:

cd ~/piperx_sim_ws
colcon build
source install/setup.bash

Run MoveIt and RViz

Start the Isaac Sim simulation first. The Isaac Sim scene should be loaded and running before launching MoveIt because this fork uses Isaac Sim simulation time.

After Isaac Sim is running, launch MoveIt and RViz with:

ros2 launch piper_x_gripper_moveit_config demo.launch.py

This launch starts MoveIt, RViz, robot_state_publisher, ros2_control_node, and the controller spawners with simulation-time support. This keeps MoveIt timing, joint state updates, and controller behavior synchronized with the timestamps coming from Isaac Sim.

When everything starts correctly, the joint state broadcaster, arm controller, and gripper controller should load, and MoveGroup should be ready for planning.

Notes

The original README inside Moveit2/ includes a manual Isaac Sim hardware-configuration step. That step is already done in this fork for Piper X, so after starting Isaac Sim, users only need to run:

ros2 launch piper_x_gripper_moveit_config demo.launch.py

This branch is project-focused. It is not meant to replace the full AgileX agx_arm_sim repository. This branch keeps the parts needed for my Piper X arm workflow.

For the original AgileX package and full multi-arm documentation, use the master branch of this fork or the upstream AgileX repository.