Unitree Z1

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0. System Prerequisites (Mandatory)

Supported ROS Versions

• ROS Noetic (Ubuntu 20.04)
• ROS Melodic (Ubuntu 18.04)

Install ros_control stack (Noetic)

sudo apt install \
  ros-noetic-controller-manager \
  ros-noetic-gazebo-ros-control \
  ros-noetic-joint-state-controller \
  ros-noetic-effort-controllers \
  ros-noetic-joint-trajectory-controller

1. Create and Build the ROS Workspace (Correct Way)

Workspace Layout (Must Be Exact)

~/unitree_ws/
├── src/
│   ├── unitree_ros/
│   └── unitree_legged_msgs/

Build Workspace

source /opt/ros/noetic/setup.bash
mkdir -p ~/unitree_ws/src
cd ~/unitree_ws/src

Place unitree_ros and unitree_legged_msgs here (clone or move folders).

Repositories

git clone https://github.com/unitreerobotics/unitree_ros.git
git clone https://github.com/unitreerobotics/unitree_ros_to_real.git

unitree_legged_msgs is found under unitree_ros_to_real.

cd ~/unitree_ws
catkin_make

❗ Do NOT modify .bashrc here.

Activate Workspace

source ~/unitree_ws/devel/setup.bash

Verify:

rospack find unitree_gazebo

Launch Simulation:

roslaunch unitree_gazebo z1.launch

✔ If Gazebo opens and Z1 appears → ROS path is correct.

2. Configure Communication Mode (Important)

Edit file:

~/unitree_ws/src/unitree_ros/z1_controller/CMakeLists.txt

Choose ONE communication mode.

For Simulation (ROS):

set(COMMUNICATION ROS)
# set(COMMUNICATION UDP)

For Hardware / SDK Testing:

set(COMMUNICATION UDP)
# set(COMMUNICATION ROS)

❗ Only one must be active.

Rebuild workspace after changes:

cd ~/unitree_ws
catkin_make

3. Build z1_controller (Standalone SDK Test)

This is NOT ROS — this is SDK-level testing.

cd ~/unitree_ws/src/unitree_ros/z1_controller
mkdir -p build
cd build
cmake ..
make

Run:

./z1_ctrl

Keyboard mode:

./z1_ctrl k

Expected warning:

[WARNING] UDPPort::recv timeout

✔ Normal when no physical arm is connected.

4. Build and Test Z1 SDK

cd ~/unitree_ws/src/unitree_ros/z1_sdk
mkdir -p build
cd build
cmake ..
make

Run demo:

./highcmd_basic

Keyboard control (SDK):

• Press 2 → enter labeled state
• Press 0 → confirm
• Type forward → execute
• Press ~ → return home

Joint control mode activates automatically.

5. Environment Usage Rules (Non-Negotiable)

.bashrc should contain ONLY:

source /opt/ros/noetic/setup.bash

Activate Unitree workspace manually when needed:

source ~/unitree_ws/devel/setup.bash

Optional alias:

alias unitree='source ~/unitree_ws/devel/setup.bash'

🔬 Validation Checklist
Run these after activation:

echo $ROS_DISTRO          # noetic
which roscore             # /opt/ros/noetic/bin/roscore
rospack find unitree_controller