| name | picrawler-control |
| description | Control a SunFounder PiCrawler quadruped robot: walk, turn, pose, sense, play sounds, camera vision. |
| homepage | https://docs.sunfounder.com/projects/pi-crawler/en/latest/ |
| metadata | {"openclaw":{"emoji":"🦾","requires":{"bins":["python3"],"python":["picrawler","robot_hat","vilib"]},"install":[{"id":"picrawler","kind":"shell","cmd":"cd ~ && git clone https://github.com/sunfounder/picrawler.git --depth 1 && cd picrawler && sudo python3 setup.py install\n"},{"id":"robot-hat","kind":"shell","cmd":"cd ~ && git clone -b v2.0 https://github.com/sunfounder/robot-hat.git --depth 1 && cd robot-hat && sudo python3 install.py\n"},{"id":"vilib","kind":"shell","cmd":"cd ~ && git clone https://github.com/sunfounder/vilib.git --depth 1 && cd vilib && sudo python3 install.py\n"},{"id":"i2s-sound","kind":"shell","cmd":"cd ~/robot-hat && sudo bash i2samp.sh\n"}]}} |
PiCrawler Control Skill
You are controlling a PiCrawler quadruped robot — a Raspberry Pi with 12 metal-gear servos, ultrasonic sensor, PiCamera, and speaker.
When the user talks to you in natural language ("stand up", "walk forward two steps", "check if there's an obstacle ahead"), use exec to run Python code on the robot's Raspberry Pi. Examples below show exactly what to exec.
Safety Rules — Always Follow These
- Stand before move: Always call
do_step('stand', 40) first, then sleep(1), before any movement.
- Sit before exit: Always call
do_step('sit', 40) then sleep(1) at the end of any movement sequence.
- Speed range: 20–50 for careful/test, 60–80 for normal, 100 max.
- Start slow: If unsure, use speed=40 and step=1.
- Flat surface: Only run on flat ground.
- Don't run multiple moves simultaneously: Wait for one action to finish before starting the next.
Recognition Mapping — What the User Said → What You Run
| User says... | You should exec... |
|---|
| "stand up" | do_step('stand', 40) + sleep(1) |
| "sit down" | do_step('sit', 40) + sleep(1) |
| "go forward / move ahead / walk forward" | stand → do_action('forward', 1-3, 60) → sit |
| "go back / move backward / walk backward" | stand → do_action('backward', 1-3, 60) → sit |
| "turn left" | stand → do_action('turn left', 1, 60) → sit |
| "turn right" | stand → do_action('turn right', 1, 60) → sit |
| "slight turn / adjust angle" | stand → do_action('turn left angle', 1, 60) or turn right angle → sit |
| "dance" | stand → do_action('dance', 2, 80) → sit |
| "do a push-up" | stand → do_step(push_up pose arrays) → sit |
| "wave" | stand → mix_step to lift one front leg → sit |
| "is there something ahead / measure distance" | exec sensor distance read, return the value to user |
| "make a sound / speak" | music.sound_play(path) or music.music_play(path) |
| "take a photo / take a picture" | Vilib.take_photo() → tell user where it saved |
| "look at me / detect faces" | Vilib.face_detect_switch(True) → read result → tell user |
| "find red / find blue / locate color..." | Vilib.color_detect('red') → read coordinates → tell user |
Response style: When you successfully execute a command, briefly tell the user what happened in a friendly tone. e.g. "Standing up now 🦾" or "Walked forward two steps, now sitting down" or "There's an obstacle 23 cm ahead."
exec Code Templates
Basic Movement (EXEC THIS)
from picrawler import Picrawler
from time import sleep
c = Picrawler()
try:
c.do_step('stand', 40)
sleep(1.0)
c.do_action('forward', 2, 60)
finally:
c.do_step('sit', 40)
sleep(1.0)
Available action names: forward, backward, turn left, turn right, turn left angle, turn right angle
Stand or Sit Only (use when no movement follows)
from picrawler import Picrawler
from time import sleep
c = Picrawler()
c.do_step('stand', 40)
sleep(1.0)
Read Ultrasonic Distance
from robot_hat import Pin, Ultrasonic
s = Ultrasonic(Pin("D2"), Pin("D3"))
d = s.read()
print(f"{d:.1f}" if d else "None")
Parse stdout from exec output to get the distance value.
Play Sound Effects
from robot_hat import Music
m = Music()
m.music_set_volume(50)
m.sound_play('/home/pi/picrawler/examples/sounds/talk1.wav')
Other available sound effects: sign.wav, talk3.wav. Music files are in /home/pi/picrawler/examples/musics/.
Take a Photo
from vilib import Vilib
from time import strftime, localtime
Vilib.camera_start(vflip=False, hflip=False)
Vilib.display(local=True, web=True)
sleep(1)
name = f"photo_{strftime('%Y-%m-%d-%H-%M-%S', localtime())}"
Vilib.take_photo(name, '/home/pi/Pictures/')
Vilib.camera_close()
print(f"saved: /home/pi/Pictures/{name}.jpg")
Detect Faces / Colors
from vilib import Vilib
from time import sleep
Vilib.camera_start(vflip=False, hflip=False)
Vilib.display(local=True, web=True)
sleep(1)
Vilib.face_detect_switch(True)
sleep(2)
n = Vilib.detect_obj_parameter.get('human_n', 0)
if n > 0:
x = Vilib.detect_obj_parameter.get('human_x')
y = Vilib.detect_obj_parameter.get('human_y')
print(f"Detected {n} face(s), center at ({x}, {y})")
else:
print("No faces detected")
Vilib.camera_close()
Typical Conversation Flow
User: "stand up"
AI executes: the "Stand or Sit Only" template above
AI replies: "Standing up now 🦾"
User: "walk forward three steps"
AI executes: the "Basic Movement" template, replacing forward and 2, 60 with forward, 3, 60
AI replies: "Walked forward three steps, now sitting down"
User: "check if there's something ahead"
AI executes: the "Read Ultrasonic Distance" template
AI replies: "There's an obstacle about 23 cm ahead" / "The path is clear ahead"
Full API Reference
See references/api.md for all available methods:
do_single_leg(leg, coodinate, speed) — move one legmix_step(base, leg, coodinate) — create custom posesadd_action(name, steps) — register custom multi-step actionmove_list keys: forward, backward, turn_left, turn_right, turn_left_angle, turn_right_angle, push_up, wave, look_left, look_right, look_up, look_down, danceVilib gesture/traffic_sign/QR code detectionMusic TTS and background music
Helper Script (Optional)
There's also a CLI convenience script at scripts/pc.py — same functions, but prefer direct Python inline via exec for more control.
