SDK

Warning

The AI Accelerator requires ROS 2 Humble, so PolyScope X 10.12.1 is the latest compatible release. PolyScope X 10.13 and later use ROS 2 Jazzy and are not currently supported.

The AI Accelerator SDK lets you build your own AI applications based on technology from Universal Robots and NVIDIA. It installs a Docker environment with NVIDIA Isaac Manipulator and related tools so you can run the included examples and develop your own applications.

Before you start

Complete these checks before installing the SDK.

1. Confirm the compute module is on 2.x

This SDK requires AI Accelerator software 2.x (BSP 2.0.5 or later). If you are still on 1.x, upgrade first — see Upgrade from 1.x.

  1. Connect a screen, mouse and keyboard to the AI Accelerator.

  2. Open a terminal (CTRL + ALT + T).

  3. Run:

curl -s http://localhost/universal-robots/platform/system/v1/versions

Example output on a supported 2.x box:

{"additionalVersions":[{"name":"bsp","version":"2.0.5"}],"systemVersion":"2.0"}

For a clearer view:

curl -s http://localhost/universal-robots/platform/system/v1/versions | python3 -m json.tool

Example formatted output:

{
    "additionalVersions": [
        {
            "name": "bsp",
            "version": "2.0.5"
        }
    ],
    "systemVersion": "2.0"
}

Result

Meaning

Next step

"systemVersion":"2.0" (or higher) and a bsp version such as 2.0.5

You are on 2.x

Continue with this SDK guide.

Command fails, hangs, or returns no systemVersion

You are on 1.x

Follow Upgrade from 1.x, then return here.

2. Hardware and network prerequisites

  • Keyboard, mouse, and display connected to the compute module.

  • AI Accelerator connected to the internet (required for the first SDK install / Docker pull).

  • Robot powered on and on the same subnet as the compute module.

Warning

In this version of the AI Accelerator software the primary IP address of the compute box is fixed to 192.168.0.100. Changing that address will break the system. Configure the robot on the same subnet (192.168.0.x, subnet mask 255.255.255.0).

Setup of the SDK

On the robot (PolyScope X)

  1. Open Settings.

  2. Navigate to Secure Shell and enable SSH access.

  3. Navigate to Services, enable ROS2, tap the input box, and select a ROS domain ID greater than 0 (for example 1–5). Remember this value — you will set the same ID on the compute module.

  4. Navigate to Network and configure an IP address in the same range as the compute box (192.168.0.x) with subnet mask 255.255.255.0.

On the compute module

  1. Confirm the robot is powered on and reachable on the same network.

  2. Open a terminal (CTRL + ALT + T).

  3. Update packages and install helpers:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install chrony sshpass

  1. Download the SDK package from Centercode (or copy it from a USB disk if you downloaded it on another PC). The file name looks like aia-sdk_<VERSION>_all.deb.

  2. Install it (replace the path and file name with yours):

sudo dpkg -i ~/aia-sdk_6.6.15_all.deb

  1. Answer the installer prompts:

    • When asked about time sync, answer y.

    • Enter the robot IP (default is often 192.168.0.10).

    • Enter the robot password.

    • Enter the compute module password.

    • When prompted, reboot the robot.

  2. On the robot teach pendant, open the hamburger menu (top left) → About, and note the robot serial number.

  3. Edit ~/aia_sdk/ros/config/config.yaml on the AI Accelerator and set:

    • robot_serial — serial number prepended with UR, for example UR20255500010

    • ros_domain_id — same domain ID you enabled on PolyScope X

    • robot_type — robot model, for example ur5e

  4. Start (or enter) the SDK container:

cd ~/aia_sdk/ros
./scripts/run_sdk_setup.sh

When setup finishes successfully, you should see output similar to the following (models restored, component checks, and SETUP COMPLETE - CONTAINER READY), and your prompt will be inside the Docker container:

SDK setup complete in the compute module terminal

After the first successful setup, use the same script to enter the Docker container again. Later runs skip the heavy setup steps if they have already completed.

After setup

You are ready to use the tools, run the examples, and program with the URScript API. All tools and examples must be executed from inside the SDK Docker container:

cd ~/aia_sdk/ros
./scripts/run_sdk_setup.sh

Example PolyScope programs are in ~/aia_sdk/polyscope/programs on the compute module. Copy them to a USB disk and import them into PolyScope X.