Unitree G1, Go2, H1 and H1-2¶
Install the Unitree SDK, reach a G1, Go2, H1 or H1-2 over CycloneDDS, and each driver's safety gate.
This page installs the vendor SDK; then Robot("g1", mode="real") (or "unitree_go2", "b2", "h1", "h1_2") reaches the robot over CycloneDDS, and you know each driver's safety gate and verbs.
The robot must share your Ethernet segment. Nothing imports unitree_sdk2py at module load; a missing SDK is a refusal carrying this recipe.
from strands_robots import Robot
g1 = Robot("g1", mode="real", driver="strands", port="192.168.123.161", network_interface="eth0")
go2 = Robot("unitree_go2", mode="real", port="192.168.123.161", network_interface="eth0")
print(g1.connect_eagerly()) # None, or a reason string
Install the SDK¶
unitree_sdk2py is not an extra: the PyPI unitree-sdk2 wheel lacks its g1 and comm packages and pins cyclonedds==0.10.2, with no Python 3.12 wheel. The [ros2] extra carries the cyclonedds binding; the SDK comes from the vendor checkout. On macOS arm64 and x86_64 Linux:
pip install 'strands-robots[ros2]'
git clone https://github.com/unitreerobotics/unitree_sdk2_python
pip install --no-deps -e ./unitree_sdk2_python # --no-deps skips the ==0.10.2 pin
python -c "from unitree_sdk2py.core.channel import ChannelFactoryInitialize; print('ok')"
On Linux aarch64 (the Jetson on the robot) cyclonedds has no wheel, so build the C library first:
git clone --branch 0.10.2 --depth 1 https://github.com/eclipse-cyclonedds/cyclonedds /tmp/cdds
cmake -S /tmp/cdds -B /tmp/cdds/build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release && sudo cmake --build /tmp/cdds/build --target install
export CYCLONEDDS_HOME=/usr/local
pip install 'cyclonedds==0.10.2'
git clone https://github.com/unitreerobotics/unitree_sdk2_python
pip install --no-deps -e ./unitree_sdk2_python
A partial install (bindings and IDL, no comm) lets connect_eagerly() succeed and fails at the motion switcher; the G1 reports motion_switcher_open_error in get_status(), the Go2 the refusal from release_sport_mode(). Point CYCLONEDDS_URI at the robot's cyclonedds.xml when multicast discovery fails.
Two drivers, two gates¶
G1Driver |
Go2Driver (Go2, B2, H1, H1-2) |
|
|---|---|---|
| IDL | unitree_hg.msg.dds_.LowCmd_ |
unitree_go.msg.dds_.LowCmd_; H1-2 unitree_hg, echoing mode_machine |
| reads | rt/lowstate, rt/lf/bmsstate, rt/utlidar/lidar_state, rt/utlidar/cloud_livox_mid360, rt/mainboardstate, rt/pressuresensorstate |
rt/lowstate, rt/lf/bmsstate |
| write gate | FSM id in HANDSHAKE_FSMS {500, 501, 801} and battery at or above 15 percent |
motion mode released (CheckMode() name empty; Go2: sport mode) and battery at or above 15 percent |
| unlock | motion switcher | release_sport_mode() |
| control loop | run_policy at 500 Hz, per-step FSM re-gate, zero-torque frame on exit |
run_policy at 500 Hz |
| joints | 29, by name in g1.py |
by name: GO2_JOINT_INDEX (12), H1_JOINT_INDEX (19), H1_2_JOINT_INDEX (27); never an index, the SDK's motor order is not the model's |
Both refuse rather than warn: rt/lowcmd beside the onboard controller is two controllers fighting; a frame reaches the motors only after the gate passes.
Agent verbs¶
use_unitree(service_name, operation_name, parameters) wraps every SDK client (loco, arm, audio, motion_switcher, vui, robot_state) with dynamic discovery: list_services, list_operations, describe_operation work without the SDK by reading its source. Every write, and every HIGH_DANGER_OPS entry (ZeroTorque, SetFsmId, SetVelocity, Move, ReleaseMode), stops for operator approval; STRANDS_UNITREE_COMMAND_ALLOW takes service.operation entries or *. Private SDK names (_Call) are refused outright.
Beyond one RPC: g1_get_state and g1_sensor read the driver's caches (battery, imu, lidar_state, lidar_summary, mainboard, pressure); g1_send_action, g1_run_policy, g1_task drive the gated control loop; g1_set_fsm, g1_move_velocity, g1_stop_move, g1_set_stand_height, g1_set_swing_height, g1_balance_stand, the g1_safe_* postures and gestures execute; g1_joints, g1_motion_gates, g1_arm_actions, g1_error_codes are reference tables (7401 is "Arm is holding - release first").
from strands import Agent
from strands_robots.tools.g1 import g1_get_state, g1_move_velocity, g1_stop_move, use_unitree
agent = Agent(tools=[g1_get_state, g1_move_velocity, g1_stop_move, use_unitree])
agent("Stand up, walk forward half a metre, stop.") # each motion pauses for your approval
On the mesh¶
With STRANDS_MESH=true the G1 publishes _imu, _battery, _lidar_state and _lidar_summary from its caches at the mesh cadence, and emergency_stop from any peer reaches its stop(). See safety and e-stop.
Simulation first¶
Each robot has a MuJoCo twin (Robot("h1_2") and so on); run a locomotion policy from policies there before the metal.