Deploy the Policy on Your Real Unitree Robot

March 22, 2025 ยท View on GitHub

This guide demonstrates how to deploy the trained model on the Unitree A1 robot (with Nvidia Jetson NX).

Install Dependencies on A1

To deploy the trained model on the A1, follow these steps:

  1. Copy the Code
    Copy the onboard_code folder to the robot. Then, copy the checkpoint folder into it.

  2. Install ROS and the Unitree ROS Package
    Install ROS and the Unitree ROS package. Follow the instructions to set up the robot on the main branch. Assume your ROS workspace is located in ~/unitree_ws.

  3. Install PyTorch on Python 3 Environment
    Install PyTorch in a Python 3 environment (we recommend using conda for the virtual environment). Download the appropriate pip wheel file for PyTorch v1.10.0 from here. Then install it using:

    pip install torch-1.10.0-cp36-cp36m-linux_aarch64.whl

  4. Install Other Dependencies and rsl_rl
    Install the required dependencies and the PPO implementation (rsl_rl):

    pip install numpy==1.16.4 numpy-ros
pip install -e ./rsl_rl

Run the Policy on A1

1. Power on the Robot

Put the robot on the ground, power it on, and set the robot into developer mode.

2. Launch Terminals

Launch 2 terminals on the robot (either through 2 SSH connections from your computer or another method), and name them T_ros and T_policy.

3. In Terminal T_ros:

Run the following commands to launch the ROS node for A1:

cd ~/unitree_ws
source devel/setup.bash
roslaunch unitree_legged_real robot.launch

This will start the ROS node. Note: The robot will not move unless dryrun:=False is specified. Leave dryrun:=True for testing, and set it to dryrun:=False only when you're ready to allow the robot to move.

4. In Terminal T_policy:

Run the following command to start the policy using the trained model:

cd onboard_code
python a1_ros_run.py --walkdir checkpoint

Here, checkpoint is the directory containing the trained model.

Once the ROS node is launched with dryrun:=False, the robot will stand up, and you can start the policy by pressing R1 on the remote control. You should see the message:
Robot standing up procedure finished!

5. Controls via Remote:

  • L-Y: Move forward/backward
  • L-X: Move leftward/rightward
  • R-X: Turn left/right

6. Shutdown

To stop the script and the ROS node, press R2 on the remote control. This can also be used in case of an emergency.