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The movement sensor API allows you to give commands to your movement sensor components for getting a GPS location, linear velocity and acceleration, angular velocity and acceleration and heading.
Different movement sensors provide different data, so be aware that not all of the methods below are supported by all movement sensors.
You can run GetProperties
on your sensor for a list of its supported methods.
Method Name | Description | Models That Support This Method | viam-micro-server Support |
---|---|---|---|
GetPosition | Get the current latitude, longitude and altitude. | GPS models, wheeled-odometry | |
GetLinearVelocity | Get the current linear velocity as a 3D vector. | GPS models, wheeled-odometry | |
GetAngularVelocity | Get the current angular velocity as a 3D vector. | IMU models, gyro-mpu6050 , and wheeled-odometry | |
GetLinearAcceleration | Get the current linear acceleration as a 3D vector. | IMU models, accel-adxl345 , and gyro-mpu6050 | |
GetCompassHeading | Get the current compass heading in degrees. | GPS models | |
GetOrientation | Get the current orientation. | IMU models, wheeled-odometry | |
GetProperties | Get the supported properties of this sensor. | all models | |
GetAccuracy | Get the accuracy of the various sensors. | GPS models | |
GetReadings | Obtain the measurements/data specific to this sensor. | all models | |
DoCommand | Send or receive model-specific commands. | all models | |
Close | Safely shut down the resource and prevent further use. | all models |
To get started using Viam’s SDKs to connect to and control your movement sensor and the rest of your machine, go to your machine’s page on the Viam app, Navigate to the CONNECT tab’s Code sample page, select your preferred programming language, and copy the sample code.
To show your machine’s API key in the sample code, toggle Include API key.
We strongly recommend that you add your API key and machine address as an environment variable. Anyone with these secrets can access your machine, and the computer running your machine.
When executed, this sample code creates a connection to your machine as a client.
The following examples assume you have a movement sensor called "my_movement_sensor"
configured as a component of your machine.
If your movement sensor has a different name, change the name
in the code.
Import the movement sensor package for the SDK you are using:
from viam.components.movement_sensor import MovementSensor
import (
"go.viam.com/rdk/components/movementsensor"
)
Report the current linear velocity in the x, y and z directions (as a 3D vector) in meters per second.
Supported by GPS models.
Supported by viam-micro-server
.
Parameters:
extra
(Mapping[str, Any]) (optional): Extra options to pass to the underlying RPC call.timeout
(float) (optional): An option to set how long to wait (in seconds) before calling a time-out and closing the underlying RPC call.Returns:
Example:
my_movement_sensor = MovementSensor.from_robot(
robot=robot, name="my_movement_sensor")
# Get the current linear velocity of the movement sensor.
lin_vel = await my_movement_sensor.get_linear_velocity()
For more information, see the Python SDK Docs.
Parameters:
ctx
(Context): A Context carries a deadline, a cancellation signal, and other values across API boundaries.extra
(map[string]interface{}): Extra options to pass to the underlying RPC call.Returns:
Example:
// Get the current linear velocity of the movement sensor.
linVel, err := myMovementSensor.LinearVelocity(context.Background(), nil)
For more information, see the Go SDK Docs.
Parameters:
Returns:
Example:
var linVel = await myMovementSensor.linearVelocity();
For more information, see the Flutter SDK Docs.
Report the current angular velocity about the x, y and z axes (as a 3D vector) in degrees per second.
Supported by IMU models and by gyro-mpu6050
.
Supported by viam-micro-server
.
Parameters:
extra
(Mapping[str, Any]) (optional): Extra options to pass to the underlying RPC call.timeout
(float) (optional): An option to set how long to wait (in seconds) before calling a time-out and closing the underlying RPC call.Returns:
Example:
my_movement_sensor = MovementSensor.from_robot(
robot=robot, name="my_movement_sensor")
# Get the current angular velocity of the movement sensor.
ang_vel = await my_movement_sensor.get_angular_velocity()
# Get the y component of angular velocity.
y_ang_vel = ang_vel.y
For more information, see the Python SDK Docs.
Parameters:
ctx
(Context): A Context carries a deadline, a cancellation signal, and other values across API boundaries.extra
(map[string]interface{}): Extra options to pass to the underlying RPC call.Returns:
Example:
// Get the current angular velocity of the movement sensor.
angVel, err := myMovementSensor.AngularVelocity(context.Background(), nil)
// Get the y component of angular velocity.
yAngVel := angVel.Y
For more information, see the Go SDK Docs.
Parameters:
Returns:
Example:
var angVel = await myMovementSensor.angularVelocity();
For more information, see the Flutter SDK Docs.
Report the current compass heading in degrees.
Supported by GPS models.
Supported by viam-micro-server
.
Parameters:
extra
(Mapping[str, Any]) (optional): Extra options to pass to the underlying RPC call.timeout
(float) (optional): An option to set how long to wait (in seconds) before calling a time-out and closing the underlying RPC call.Returns:
Example:
my_movement_sensor = MovementSensor.from_robot(
robot=robot, name="my_movement_sensor")
# Get the current compass heading of the movement sensor.
heading = await my_movement_sensor.get_compass_heading()
For more information, see the Python SDK Docs.
Parameters:
ctx
(Context): A Context carries a deadline, a cancellation signal, and other values across API boundaries.extra
(map[string]interface{}): Extra options to pass to the underlying RPC call.Returns:
Example:
// Get the current compass heading of the movement sensor.
heading, err := myMovementSensor.CompassHeading(context.Background(), nil)
For more information, see the Go SDK Docs.
Parameters:
Returns:
Example:
var compassHeading = await myMovementSensor.compassHeading();
For more information, see the Flutter SDK Docs.
Report the current orientation of the sensor.
Supported by IMU models.
Parameters:
extra
(Mapping[str, Any]) (optional): Extra options to pass to the underlying RPC call.timeout
(float) (optional): An option to set how long to wait (in seconds) before calling a time-out and closing the underlying RPC call.Returns:
Example:
my_movement_sensor = MovementSensor.from_robot(
robot=robot, name="my_movement_sensor")
# Get the current orientation vector of the movement sensor.
orientation = await my_movement_sensor.get_orientation()
For more information, see the Python SDK Docs.
Parameters:
ctx
(Context): A Context carries a deadline, a cancellation signal, and other values across API boundaries.extra
(map[string]interface{}): Extra options to pass to the underlying RPC call.Returns:
o_x
, o_y
, o_z
, and theta
, which together represent a vector pointing in the direction that the sensor is pointing, and the angle (theta
) in degrees of the sensor’s rotation about that axis.Example:
// Get the current orientation of the movement sensor.
sensorOrientation, err := myMovementSensor.Orientation(context.Background(), nil)
// Get the orientation vector.
orientation := sensorOrientation.OrientationVectorDegrees()
// Print out the orientation vector.
logger.Info("The x component of the orientation vector: ", orientation.OX)
logger.Info("The y component of the orientation vector: ", orientation.OY)
logger.Info("The z component of the orientation vector: ", orientation.OZ)
logger.Info("The number of degrees that the movement sensor is rotated about the vector: ", orientation.Theta)
For more information, see the Go SDK Docs.
Parameters:
Returns:
Example:
var orientation = await myMovementSensor.orientation();
For more information, see the Flutter SDK Docs.
Report the current GeoPoint (latitude, longitude) and altitude (in meters).
Supported by GPS models.
Supported by viam-micro-server
.
Parameters:
extra
(Mapping[str, Any]) (optional): Extra options to pass to the underlying RPC call.timeout
(float) (optional): An option to set how long to wait (in seconds) before calling a time-out and closing the underlying RPC call.Returns:
Example:
my_movement_sensor = MovementSensor.from_robot(
robot=robot,
name="my_movement_sensor")
# Get the current position of the movement sensor.
position = await my_movement_sensor.get_position()
For more information, see the Python SDK Docs.
Parameters:
ctx
(Context): A Context carries a deadline, a cancellation signal, and other values across API boundaries.extra
(map[string]interface{}): Extra options to pass to the underlying RPC call.Returns:
Example:
// Get the current position of the movement sensor above sea level in meters.
position, altitude, err := myMovementSensor.Position(context.Background(), nil)
For more information, see the Go SDK Docs.
Parameters:
Returns:
Example:
var position = await myMovementSensor.position();
var altitude = position.altitude;
var coordinates = position.coordinates;
For more information, see the Flutter SDK Docs.
Get the supported properties of this sensor.
Supported by viam-micro-server
.
Parameters:
extra
(Mapping[str, Any]) (optional): Extra options to pass to the underlying RPC call.timeout
(float) (optional): An option to set how long to wait (in seconds) before calling a time-out and closing the underlying RPC call.Returns:
Example:
my_movement_sensor = MovementSensor.from_robot(
robot=robot, name="my_movement_sensor")
# Get the supported properties of the movement sensor.
properties = await my_movement_sensor.get_properties()
For more information, see the Python SDK Docs.
Parameters:
ctx
(Context): A Context carries a deadline, a cancellation signal, and other values across API boundaries.extra
(map[string]interface{}): Extra options to pass to the underlying RPC call.Returns:
Example:
// Get the supported properties of the movement sensor.
properties, err := myMovementSensor.Properties(context.Background(), nil)
For more information, see the Go SDK Docs.
Parameters:
Returns:
Example:
var props = await myMovementSensor.properties();
For more information, see the Flutter SDK Docs.
Get the reliability metrics of the movement sensor, including various parameters to assess the sensor’s accuracy and precision in different dimensions.
Supported by GPS models and imu-wit
.
Parameters:
extra
(Mapping[str, Any]) (optional): Extra options to pass to the underlying RPC call.timeout
(float) (optional): An option to set how long to wait (in seconds) before calling a time-out and closing the underlying RPC call.Returns:
Example:
my_movement_sensor = MovementSensor.from_robot(
robot=robot, name="my_movement_sensor")
# Get the accuracy of the movement sensor.
accuracy = await my_movement_sensor.get_accuracy()
For more information, see the Python SDK Docs.
Parameters:
ctx
(Context): A Context carries a deadline, a cancellation signal, and other values across API boundaries.extra
(map[string]interface{}): Extra options to pass to the underlying RPC call.Returns:
(*Accuracy): The precision and reliability metrics of the movement sensor, which vary depending on model. This type contains the following fields:
AccuracyMap
(map[string]float32): A mapping of specific measurement parameters to their accuracy values.
The keys are string identifiers for each measurement (for example, “Hdop”, “Vdop”), and the values are their corresponding accuracy levels as float32.Hdop
(float32): Horizontal Dilution of Precision (HDOP) value.
It indicates the level of accuracy of horizontal measurements.
Lower values indicate improved reliability of positional measurements.Vdop
(float32): Vertical Dilution of Precision (VDOP) value.
Similar to HDOP, it denotes the accuracy level of vertical measurements.
Lower values indicate improved reliability of positional measurements.NmeaFix
(int32): An integer value representing the quality of the NMEA fix.
See Novatel documentation for the meaning of each fix value.CompassDegreeError
(float32): The estimated error in compass readings, measured in degrees.
This signifies the deviation or uncertainty in the sensor’s compass measurements.
A lower value implies a more accurate compass direction.(error): An error, if one occurred.
Example:
// Get the accuracy of the movement sensor.
accuracy, err := myMovementSensor.Accuracy(context.Background(), nil)
For more information, see the Go SDK Docs.
Parameters:
Returns:
Example:
var accuracy = await myMovementSensor.accuracy();
For more information, see the Flutter SDK Docs.
Report the current linear acceleration in the x, y and z directions (as a 3D vector) in meters per second per second.
Supported by IMU models, accel-adxl345
, and gyro-mpu6050
.
Supported by viam-micro-server
.
Parameters:
extra
(Mapping[str, Any]) (optional): Extra options to pass to the underlying RPC call.timeout
(float) (optional): An option to set how long to wait (in seconds) before calling a time-out and closing the underlying RPC call.Returns:
Example:
my_movement_sensor = MovementSensor.from_robot(
robot=robot, name="my_movement_sensor")
# Get the current linear acceleration of the movement sensor.
lin_accel = await my_movement_sensor.get_linear_acceleration()
# Get the x component of linear acceleration.
x_lin_accel = lin_accel.x
For more information, see the Python SDK Docs.
Parameters:
ctx
(Context): A Context carries a deadline, a cancellation signal, and other values across API boundaries.extra
(map[string]interface{}): Extra options to pass to the underlying RPC call.Returns:
Example:
// Get the current linear acceleration of the movement sensor.
linAcc, err := myMovementSensor.LinearAcceleration(context.Background(), nil)
For more information, see the Go SDK Docs.
Parameters:
Returns:
Example:
var linAccel = await myMovementSensor.linearAcceleration();
For more information, see the Flutter SDK Docs.
Get all the measurements/data from the sensor.
Results depend on the sensor model and can be of any type.
If a sensor is not configured to take a certain measurement or fails to read a piece of data, that data will not appear in the readings dictionary.
Supported by viam-micro-server
.
Parameters:
extra
(Mapping[str, Any]) (optional): Extra options to pass to the underlying RPC call.timeout
(float) (optional): An option to set how long to wait (in seconds) before calling a time-out and closing the underlying RPC call.Returns:
Example:
my_movement_sensor = MovementSensor.from_robot(
robot=robot, name="my_movement_sensor")
# Get the latest readings from the movement sensor.
readings = await my_movement_sensor.get_readings()
For more information, see the Python SDK Docs.
Parameters:
ctx
(Context): A Context carries a deadline, a cancellation signal, and other values across API boundaries.extra
(map[string]interface{}): Extra options to pass to the underlying RPC call.Returns:
Example:
// Get the readings provided by the sensor.
readings, err := mySensor.Readings(context.Background(), nil)
For more information, see the Go SDK Docs.
Reconfigure this resource. Reconfigure must reconfigure the resource atomically and in place.
Parameters:
ctx
(Context): A Context carries a deadline, a cancellation signal, and other values across API boundaries.deps
(Dependencies): The resource dependencies.conf
(Config): The resource configuration.Returns:
For more information, see the Go SDK Docs.
Execute model-specific commands that are not otherwise defined by the component API.
If you are implementing your own movement sensor and add features that have no built-in API method, you can access them with DoCommand
.
Supported by viam-micro-server
.
Parameters:
command
(Mapping[str, ValueTypes]) (required): The command to execute.timeout
(float) (optional): An option to set how long to wait (in seconds) before calling a time-out and closing the underlying RPC call.Returns:
Raises:
Example:
my_movement_sensor = MovementSensor.from_robot(robot=machine, name="my_movement_sensor")
command = {"cmd": "test", "data1": 500}
result = await my_movement_sensor.do_command(command)
For more information, see the Python SDK Docs.
Parameters:
ctx
(Context): A Context carries a deadline, a cancellation signal, and other values across API boundaries.cmd
(map[string]interface{}): The command to execute.Returns:
Example:
myMovementSensor, err := movement_sensor.FromRobot(machine, "my_movement_sensor")
command := map[string]interface{}{"cmd": "test", "data1": 500}
result, err := myMovementSensor.DoCommand(context.Background(), command)
For more information, see the Go SDK Docs.
Get the ResourceName
for this movement sensor with the given name.
Parameters:
name
(str) (required): The name of the Resource.Returns:
Example:
my_movement_sensor_name = MovementSensor.get_resource_name("my_movement_sensor")
For more information, see the Python SDK Docs.
Safely shut down the resource and prevent further use.
Parameters:
Returns:
Example:
my_movement_sensor = MovementSensor.from_robot(robot=machine, name="my_movement_sensor")
await my_movement_sensor.close()
For more information, see the Python SDK Docs.
Parameters:
ctx
(Context): A Context carries a deadline, a cancellation signal, and other values across API boundaries.Returns:
Example:
myMovementSensor, err := movementsensor.FromRobot(machine, "my_movement_sensor")
err = myMovementSensor.Close(context.Background())
For more information, see the Go SDK Docs.
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