Time Parameterization

MoveIt is currently primarily a kinematic motion planning framework - it plans for joint or end effector positions but not velocity or acceleration. However, MoveIt does utilize post-processing to time parameterize kinematic trajectories for velocity and acceleration values. Below we explain the settings and components involved in this part of MoveIt.

Speed Control

From File

By default MoveIt sets the joint velocity and acceleration limits of a joint trajectory to the default allowed in the robot’s URDF or joint_limits.yaml. The joint_limits.yaml is generated from the Setup Assistant and is initially an exact copy of the values within the URDF. The user can then modify those values to be less than the original URDF values if special constraints are needed. Specific joint properties can be changed with the keys max_position, min_position, max_velocity, max_acceleration, max_jerk. Joint limits can be turned on or off with the keys has_velocity_limits, has_acceleration_limits, has_jerk_limits.

During Runtime

The speed of a parameterized kinematic trajectory can also be modified during runtime as a fraction of the max velocity and acceleration set in the configuration values, as a value between 0-1. To change the speed on a per-motion plan basis, you can set the two scaling factors as described in MotionPlanRequest.msg. Spinboxes for setting both of those factors are also available in the MoveIt MotionPlanning RViz plugin.

Time Parameterization Algorithms

MoveIt can support different algorithms for post-processing a kinematic trajectory to add timestamps and velocity/acceleration values. Currently there is only one option in MoveIt:

Time-optimal Trajectory Generation

Time-optimal Trajectory Generation (TOTG) was introduced in PRs #809 and #1365. It produces trajectories with very smooth and continuous velocity profiles. The method is based on fitting path segments to the original trajectory and then sampling new waypoints from the optimized path. This is different from strict time parameterization methods as resulting waypoints may divert from the original trajectory within a certain tolerance. As a consequence, additional collision checks might be required when using this method. It is the default everywhere in MoveIt 2.

Usage of a time parameterization algorithm as a Planning Request Adapter is documented in this tutorial.

Jerk-Limited Trajectory Smoothing

A time parameterization algorithm such as TOTG calculates velocities and accelerations for a trajectory, but none of the time parameterization algorithms support jerk limits. This is not ideal – large jerks along a trajectory can cause jerky motion or damage hardware. As a further post-processing step, the Ruckig jerk-limited smoothing algorithm can be appliied to limit joint jerks over the trajectories.

To apply the Ruckig smoothing algorithm, jerk limits should be defined in a joint_limits.yaml file. If you do not specify a jerk limit for any joint, a reasonable default will be applied and a warning printed.

Finally, add the Ruckig smoothing algorithm to the list of planning request adapters (typically in ompl_planning.yaml). The Ruckig smoothing algorithm should run last, so put it at the top of list:

response_adapters:
  - default_planning_request_adapters/AddRuckigTrajectorySmoothing
  - default_planning_request_adapters/AddTimeOptimalParameterization
  ...