Python SDK
Install menlo-sdk, run the example scripts and operate the robot from the command line.
menlo-sdk drives the robot from Python: stand, balance, walk, joints, state, camera and
audio, over the robot's network or its LiveKit room. It is a client of Asimov Edge, so every
command passes through the robot's safety layer, and the Cockpit and a paired gamepad
outrank it.
Two guides cover it. Drive from Python is the hands-on path: the robot's settings, a credential, install, and a first walk with video and sound. The Python SDK section is the depth: every connection mode, verb, error and example.
Before the robot moves
For a first run, hang the robot from its gantry hook with both feet on the floor, and give a walk 2 m of clear floor ahead. Nothing in the SDK is an emergency stop: keep the E-Stop in Asimov Manager open, or be ready to cut power at the battery unit. Read Safety before the first run.
Install
Python 3.12 or newer.
pip install menlo-sdk
menlo setupmenlo setup asks for a connection mode and what it needs, checks them against the robot,
and saves the robot, so every script and command below finds it without arguments. The
udp mode needs the robot to send UDP state to your computer; hybrid and livekit need an
SDK credential from the Developer page in Asimov Manager
(Drive from Python).
Run the Examples
git clone https://github.com/menloresearch/menlo-sdk.git
cd menlo-sdk/examplespython check.pyreports what the robot reports: robot mode, arming, faults, alerts, the hottest joint and the battery. It sends nothing.python stand.pystands the robot up and returns once it is armed. Hang the robot from its gantry hook with both feet on the floor first: STAND has no balance loop.python balance.pyputs the robot in MOVE at zero velocity, where the walking policy balances it. Slacken the gantry only after it returns.python walk.pywalks forward at 0.3 m/s for 3 s, then balances in place. Give the robot 2 m of clear floor ahead.python rest.pybrings the robot to rest: MOVE, then STAND, then DAMP. It asks first whether the robot is hanging from its gantry hook or seated on a stool or bench.python damp.pyputs the robot in DAMP directly: every actuator stops holding its position, so a standing robot falls. Hang it from its gantry hook or seat it on a stool or bench first.python keyboard.pydrives from the keyboard:w/swalk,a/dstrafe,q/eturn, space balances in place,tstands (asks first in MOVE),bdamps after asking,xquits. It walks the robot backward and sideways too: keep clear floor all around it.
The SDK refuses a command only when there is no live state; the firmware decides the rest.
stand.py, balance.py, walk.py and keyboard.py carry guard(robot) from guard.py
commented out: an example guard of your own that stops the script on a fault, an alert, a
hot actuator or a low battery. Uncomment its two lines in a script to turn it on. The rest of the scripts, including the camera, microphone and speaker, are in
Examples; the sequence and why it is ordered this way are in
Standing and Balancing.
Operate from the Command Line
The same verbs, without a script:
menlo status
menlo stand
menlo balance
menlo walk --vx 0.3 --duration 3
menlo dampmenlo status sends nothing. menlo stand, menlo balance, menlo walk and menlo damp
show the robot's facts and ask Proceed? [y/N] before they send, unless you pass -y.
stand, balance and walk refuse only when there is no live state. See
Command Line.
Learn More
- Quickstart: the check, stand, balance, walk and damp scripts, line by line
- Move the Robot: velocity, holding it, limits, ending a walk
- Connection Modes:
udp,hybridandlivekit - SDK Reference: every class, verb and error
How is this guide?