Configure a Fake Arm

Configure a fake arm to test different models of robotic arms without any physical hardware.

Configure a fake arm as follows:

Creation of a fake ur5e arm in the Viam app config builder.

Note that this visual example sets the fake arm to act as a ur5e arm.

{
    "name": "<arm_name">",
    "type": "arm",
    "model": "fake",
    "attributes": {
        "arm-model": "<your_arm_model>"
        "model-path": "<your_arm_model_config_filepath>" // REMOVE if using arm-model
    }
}

The following attributes are available for fake arms:

NameInclusionDescription
arm-modelOptionalThe name of the robotic arm model you want your fake arm to act as. This attribute must match the name of one of the arms Viam currently supports. See here for supported model names.
model-pathOptionalThe path to a compatible Arm’s ModelJSON or URDF configuration file that you want your fake arm to act as. This path should point to the exact location where your configuration file is located on your computer running viam-server.

Refer to the following JSON examples for differences in configuration between the two attributes available:

{
    "name": "<arm-name">",
    "type": "arm",
    "model": "fake",
    "attributes": {
        "arm-model": "ur5e"
    }
}
{
    "name": "<arm-name">",
    "type": "arm",
    "model": "fake",
    "attributes": {
        "model-path": "/Users/<YOUR-USERNAME>/downloads/universalrobots/ur5e.json"
    }
}

Once you have successfully configured your fake arm, you can navigate to the CONTROL tab of the Viam app. A drop-down menu should appear with the name of your arm that allows you to toggle the fake arm’s joint positions and Cartesian end positions to dynamically test motion planning:

Motion planning remote-control of a fake ur5e arm in the Viam app control tab.

Note that this visual example sets the fake arm to act as a ur5e arm.