Teleop Bridge

When to Use

• VR teleop loop (geniesim_teleop skill run-teleop) and an RT Engine scene (launch-scene skill) need to share /joint_command without the ros2_control hardware interface rebroadcasting it at the controller-manager update rate.
• User sees "the arm jitters / payloads get flung" — that's the classic two-publisher symptom.
• External motion script (e.g. wok_flip_cmds.py) and MoveIt are both interested in the same topic.

Do not use for:

• Starting the teleop loop itself → run-teleop skill in geniesim_teleop.
• MoveIt planning with the simulator's controllers driving → moveit-wbc skill (default mode).
• Recording the teleop session → record-episode skill.

Critical Patterns

1. use_ros2_control:=false is the bridge switch. With it, wbc.launch.py starts move_group only (/compute_ik, /compute_fk) and skips the ros2_control node + controller spawners. /joint_command then has exactly one source: teleop.
2. Match scene gripper to teleop config. run-teleop defaults to G2_omnipicker.json. Use scene_pnp_g2_op (or any scene_*_g2_op) so the engine is built with the same gripper the teleop loop expects. Mismatched grippers produce a robot MoveIt can plan against but the engine refuses to drive.
3. Three processes, three shells. Scene + MoveIt + teleop each run as a long-lived ROS node. Don't try to background them in one shell — the engine and teleop both want stdin / SIGINT semantics.
4. use_sim_time:=true is engine-side, but the teleop loop publishes wall-clock by default. The bridge uses sim time inside the scene; the publisher rate adapts. Don't override unless you know what you're doing.

Workflow

Step 1 — Confirm the prerequisites

• Scene is up via launch-scene skill (e.g. scene_pnp_g2_op × launcher_ovrtx_isaac_physx).
• Teleop config matches the scene's gripper.
• VR device reachable, default port 8080.

Step 2 — Launch MoveIt without controllers

In a fresh shell:

source devel/setup.bash

ros2 launch genie_sim_moveit wbc.launch.py \
  arm:=crsB \
  gripper:=omnipicker \
  use_ros2_control:=false

Console banner should print:

[wbc.launch.py] use_ros2_control=false → move_group only (no ros2_control
node / controllers); drive the arm via /joint_command.

Step 3 — Start teleop

In another shell (geniesim docker into):

geniesim teleop run \
  --device_type=pico \
  --port=8080 \
  --robot_config=G2_omnipicker.json

Step 4 — Verify single-publisher on /joint_command

ros2 topic info /joint_command -v
# Publishers should list exactly one: the teleop node.

If you see two publishers, you forgot use_ros2_control:=false — stop MoveIt and relaunch with the flag.

Step 5 — Plan-then-execute combo (optional)

Even without ros2_control, /compute_ik is still available. So you can:

• Use MoveIt's RViz markers to plan and call /compute_ik for manual goals.
• Hand the resulting joint target to your teleop publisher (or skip MoveIt entirely for direct VR drive).

Commands (copy-paste summary for the user)

# Shell 1 — scene
source devel/setup.bash
ros2 launch genie_sim_bringup app.launch.py \
  scene:=scene_pnp_g2_op \
  launcher_config:=launcher_ovrtx_isaac_physx \
  headless:=false   # local workstation with a screen; flip to true on a remote/headless host

# Shell 2 — MoveIt, no controllers
source devel/setup.bash
ros2 launch genie_sim_moveit wbc.launch.py \
  arm:=crsB gripper:=omnipicker use_ros2_control:=false

# Shell 3 — teleop loop
geniesim teleop run --device_type=pico --port=8080 \
  --robot_config=G2_omnipicker.json

# Verify single publisher
ros2 topic info /joint_command -v

Notes

• simple_body_controller is configured but not auto-spawned even in the controller mode — it conflicts with simple_waist_controller + simple_torso_controller on the same body-joint resources. The teleop bridge avoids that ambiguity by not spawning any of them.
• For wok-flip / scripted motion (wok_flip_cmds.py, benchmark replay scripts), the same use_ros2_control:=false flag applies — anything that owns /joint_command directly needs the controllers out of the way.
• The teleop loop has its own per-episode recording hooks (--record-dir). For raw-topic recording on top, see the record-episode skill.

Resources

• Teleop CLI + skill: source/geniesim_teleop/skills/run-teleop/SKILL.md
• MoveIt launch with the bridge switch: source/geniesim_ros/src/ros_ws/src/genie_sim_moveit/launch/wbc.launch.py
• Related skills: launch-scene, moveit-wbc, record-episode