Add a robot or controller¶

Robot assets, collision geometry, actuator maps and tracking control jointly change behavior. Document their differences before calling a comparison an embodiment ablation.

Robot integration¶

Start from a robot declaration in src/wasman/assets/, including the existing BlueROV2/Reach Alpha or RexROV2/Oberon7 configuration. Preserve upstream asset licenses and register mesh provenance. Declare joint order, frames, masses, inertias, buoyancy, collision geometry, limits and tool/gripper transforms.

Validate joint limits and tool transforms first. Then check buoyancy and station-keeping with the vehicle floating, followed by contact behavior. A fixed-base reach film alone does not validate free-floating manipulation. Record the tested scope and retain geometric audit evidence.

Controller integration¶

Follow the command path from task targets to base wrench and joint drives in src/wasman/controllers/. Preserve units, coordinate frames and signs. Document integrator reset, saturation/desaturation, update rate and motor limits. A new controller must share the intended target semantics with the policy adapter.

Replay an identical expert target sequence before training or comparing models. When the robot, gains and actuation all change, report a comparison of complete systems. To attribute a difference to one factor, hold the others fixed or explain why the design does not permit that separation.

The frozen release benchmarks PID/PD and declared EE/native interfaces. It does not contain benchmarked MPC or adaptive-control baselines. Extending those methods requires a new implementation and validation; changing a label is insufficient.