Configure a Fake Arm

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

Navigate to the Config tab of your robot’s page in the Viam app. Click on the Components subtab and click Create component. Select the arm type, then select the fake model. Enter a name for your arm and click Create.

An example configuration for a fake ur5e arm in the Viam app Config Builder.

Edit and fill in the attributes as applicable. This example sets the fake arm to act as a ur5e arm.

{
  "name": "<arm_name>",
  "type": "arm",
  "model": "fake",
  "attributes": {
    "arm-model": "<your_arm_model>"
  }
}

The following attributes are available for fake arms:

NameTypeInclusionDescription
arm-modelstringOptionalname of the robotic arm model you want your fake arm to act as. See built-in arm models for supported model names.
model-pathstringOptionalThe path to the kinematic configuration file of the arm driver you want your fake arm to act as. This path should point to the exact location where the 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>"
  }
}


Have questions, or want to meet other people working on robots? Join our Community Discord.