Install and build¶

Python install¶

We recommend using the collection environment directly: once it is set up per Installation it already includes SDK 0.4.3 (submodule third_party/taccap-gripper), and the source and example scripts are all in that directory. To verify:

cd third_party/taccap-gripper
python -c "import xense.taccap as t; print(t.hello())"

It should print taccap-gripper OK; version 0.4.3. If the version is wrong, pull the submodules and rerun ./setup_env.sh --install, see Clone the repo and its submodules.

Standalone install (Backpack Kit, or without the data-collection repository)¶

Backpack Kit customers, and computers that do not use the data-collection repository, install from scratch per Follower · Setup and self-check · Install the SDK and set up the host: Miniforge → v4l-utils → download the SDK → create the mamba environment → build and install → host setup. Leader and follower grippers use the same steps.

Hardware self-check¶

python -c "from xense.taccap import scan_grippers
for g in scan_grippers(): print(g.side, g.role, g.firmware_sn)"

One line per gripper: a leader gripper shows Role.Leader (serial number ending in m), a follower gripper Role.Follower (ending in s). Scanning interrupts any other program using a gripper, so stop those first. For the follower gripper, continue with Setup and self-check; serial permissions and similar issues are covered in Host setup.

Integrating into C++ / ROS 2 projects¶

Add the SDK source as a CMake subdirectory and link taccap_core:

set(TACCAP_BUILD_PYTHON   OFF CACHE BOOL "" FORCE)
set(TACCAP_BUILD_EXAMPLES OFF CACHE BOOL "" FORCE)
add_subdirectory(path/to/TacCap-Gripper taccap-gripper-build)
target_link_libraries(my_target PRIVATE taccap_core)

For the build environment use the taccap environment created by the standalone install above; it has every build dependency. The C++ interface uses the same names as Python, in the xense::taccap namespace.

For gripper models in ROS 2 (URDF / Xacro), see XTac-UMI-Description.