Humanoid

A humanoid recording is kind: "humanoid" with one part per limb. Each part carries the data your robot logs: joint angles, a wrist pose, hand contact forces, ankle force-torque. This example is a humanoid with 7-DoF arms, 6-DoF hands with fingertip force sensors, 6-DoF legs with ankle force-torque sensors, a 3-DoF waist and a 2-DoF neck, recorded while it carries a mug to a sink.

Channels

Channel	Message	Content
`/cam/head`	`foxglove.CompressedVideo`	head camera, the primary view
`/cam/left_wrist`, `/cam/right_wrist`	`foxglove.CompressedVideo`	wrist cameras
`/cam/external`	`foxglove.CompressedVideo`	a fixed camera in the room
`/cam/*/calibration`	`foxglove.CameraCalibration`	intrinsics, one per camera
`/body/pose`	`foxglove.PoseInFrame`	the pelvis pose in the `world` frame: the body pose, not declared in the overlay
`/left_arm/wrist_pose`, `/right_arm/wrist_pose`	`foxglove.PoseInFrame`	wrist poses in the `world` frame
`/sig/*`	`nomadic.Signal`	joint angles, forces, IMU and robot state

Overlay

overlay.json

{
  "spec_version": "1.1",
  "recording": {
    "id": "humanoid-kitchen-000123",
    "clock": "log_time",
    "t0_ns": 1760000000000000000,
    "task": {
      "instruction": "Take the mug from the counter and place it in the sink.",
      "success_criteria": "The mug is upright in the sink."
    },
    "segments": [
      {"start_s": 0.0,  "end_s": 6.5,  "text": "Walk to the counter.", "label": "subtask", "skill": "walk"},
      {"start_s": 6.5,  "end_s": 11.0, "text": "Grasp the mug with the right hand.", "label": "subtask", "skill": "pick"},
      {"start_s": 11.0, "end_s": 19.2, "text": "Carry the mug to the sink and release it.", "label": "subtask", "skill": "place"}
    ],
    "platform": {
      "kind": "humanoid",
      "embodiment": "acme_h1_rev3",
      "body_dimensions": {"length": 0.3, "width": 0.5, "height": 1.7},
      "parts": [
        {"name": "left_arm", "type": "arm", "side": "left",
         "joints": {"signal": "left_arm_joints",
                    "names": ["left_shoulder_pitch", "left_shoulder_roll", "left_shoulder_yaw", "left_elbow",
                              "left_wrist_roll", "left_wrist_pitch", "left_wrist_yaw"]},
         "end_pose": {"channel": "/left_arm/wrist_pose"}},
        {"name": "right_arm", "type": "arm", "side": "right",
         "joints": {"signal": "right_arm_joints",
                    "names": ["right_shoulder_pitch", "right_shoulder_roll", "right_shoulder_yaw", "right_elbow",
                              "right_wrist_roll", "right_wrist_pitch", "right_wrist_yaw"]},
         "end_pose": {"channel": "/right_arm/wrist_pose"}},
        {"name": "left_hand", "type": "hand", "side": "left",
         "joints": {"signal": "left_hand_joints",
                    "names": ["left_thumb_yaw", "left_thumb_pitch", "left_index", "left_middle", "left_ring", "left_little"]},
         "force": {"signal": "left_hand_force"}},
        {"name": "right_hand", "type": "hand", "side": "right",
         "joints": {"signal": "right_hand_joints",
                    "names": ["right_thumb_yaw", "right_thumb_pitch", "right_index", "right_middle", "right_ring", "right_little"]},
         "force": {"signal": "right_hand_force"}},
        {"name": "left_leg", "type": "leg", "side": "left",
         "joints": {"signal": "left_leg_joints",
                    "names": ["left_hip_pitch", "left_hip_roll", "left_hip_yaw", "left_knee", "left_ankle_pitch", "left_ankle_roll"]},
         "force": {"signal": "left_ankle_wrench"}},
        {"name": "right_leg", "type": "leg", "side": "right",
         "joints": {"signal": "right_leg_joints",
                    "names": ["right_hip_pitch", "right_hip_roll", "right_hip_yaw", "right_knee", "right_ankle_pitch", "right_ankle_roll"]},
         "force": {"signal": "right_ankle_wrench"}},
        {"name": "torso", "type": "torso",
         "joints": {"signal": "waist_joints", "names": ["waist_yaw", "waist_roll", "waist_pitch"]}},
        {"name": "head", "type": "head",
         "joints": {"signal": "neck_joints", "names": ["neck_yaw", "neck_pitch"]}}
      ]
    }
  },
  "primary_view": "/cam/head",
  "views": [
    {"channel": "/cam/head",        "role": "ego",         "label": "Head"},
    {"channel": "/cam/left_wrist",  "role": "wrist_left",  "label": "Left wrist"},
    {"channel": "/cam/right_wrist", "role": "wrist_right", "label": "Right wrist"},
    {"channel": "/cam/external",    "role": "external_1",  "label": "Room"}
  ],
  "signals": [
    {"channel": "/sig/left_arm_joints", "name": "left_arm_joints", "type": "vector", "dim": 7, "unit": "rad", "rate_hz": 200,
     "components": ["left_shoulder_pitch", "left_shoulder_roll", "left_shoulder_yaw", "left_elbow",
                    "left_wrist_roll", "left_wrist_pitch", "left_wrist_yaw"]},
    {"channel": "/sig/right_arm_joints", "name": "right_arm_joints", "type": "vector", "dim": 7, "unit": "rad", "rate_hz": 200,
     "components": ["right_shoulder_pitch", "right_shoulder_roll", "right_shoulder_yaw", "right_elbow",
                    "right_wrist_roll", "right_wrist_pitch", "right_wrist_yaw"]},
    {"channel": "/sig/left_hand_joints", "name": "left_hand_joints", "type": "vector", "dim": 6, "unit": "rad", "rate_hz": 100,
     "components": ["left_thumb_yaw", "left_thumb_pitch", "left_index", "left_middle", "left_ring", "left_little"]},
    {"channel": "/sig/right_hand_joints", "name": "right_hand_joints", "type": "vector", "dim": 6, "unit": "rad", "rate_hz": 100,
     "components": ["right_thumb_yaw", "right_thumb_pitch", "right_index", "right_middle", "right_ring", "right_little"]},
    {"channel": "/sig/left_hand_force", "name": "left_hand_force", "type": "vector", "dim": 5, "unit": "N", "rate_hz": 100,
     "components": ["thumb", "index", "middle", "ring", "little"], "note": "fingertip normal force"},
    {"channel": "/sig/right_hand_force", "name": "right_hand_force", "type": "vector", "dim": 5, "unit": "N", "rate_hz": 100,
     "components": ["thumb", "index", "middle", "ring", "little"], "note": "fingertip normal force"},
    {"channel": "/sig/left_leg_joints", "name": "left_leg_joints", "type": "vector", "dim": 6, "unit": "rad", "rate_hz": 500,
     "components": ["left_hip_pitch", "left_hip_roll", "left_hip_yaw", "left_knee", "left_ankle_pitch", "left_ankle_roll"]},
    {"channel": "/sig/right_leg_joints", "name": "right_leg_joints", "type": "vector", "dim": 6, "unit": "rad", "rate_hz": 500,
     "components": ["right_hip_pitch", "right_hip_roll", "right_hip_yaw", "right_knee", "right_ankle_pitch", "right_ankle_roll"]},
    {"channel": "/sig/left_ankle_wrench", "name": "left_ankle_wrench", "type": "vector", "dim": 6, "rate_hz": 500,
     "components": ["fx", "fy", "fz", "tx", "ty", "tz"], "note": "ankle force-torque sensor, N and N*m, sensor frame"},
    {"channel": "/sig/right_ankle_wrench", "name": "right_ankle_wrench", "type": "vector", "dim": 6, "rate_hz": 500,
     "components": ["fx", "fy", "fz", "tx", "ty", "tz"], "note": "ankle force-torque sensor, N and N*m, sensor frame"},
    {"channel": "/sig/waist_joints", "name": "waist_joints", "type": "vector", "dim": 3, "unit": "rad", "rate_hz": 500,
     "components": ["waist_yaw", "waist_roll", "waist_pitch"]},
    {"channel": "/sig/neck_joints", "name": "neck_joints", "type": "vector", "dim": 2, "unit": "rad", "rate_hz": 100,
     "components": ["neck_yaw", "neck_pitch"]},
    {"channel": "/sig/pelvis_gyro", "name": "pelvis_gyro", "type": "vector", "dim": 3, "unit": "rad/s", "rate_hz": 500,
     "components": ["x", "y", "z"]},
    {"channel": "/sig/pelvis_accel", "name": "pelvis_accel", "type": "vector", "dim": 3, "unit": "m/s^2", "rate_hz": 500,
     "components": ["x", "y", "z"]},
    {"channel": "/sig/locomotion_mode", "name": "locomotion_mode", "type": "enum",
     "values": ["stand", "walk", "manipulate"], "note": "controller mode"},
    {"channel": "/sig/battery", "name": "battery", "type": "float", "unit": "1", "rate_hz": 1,
     "note": "state of charge, 0 = empty, 1 = full"}
  ],
  "source": {"converter": "acme-to-nomadic 1.2"}
}

Notes

Body pose. The pelvis pose goes on its own foxglove.PoseInFrame channel (/body/pose) in a static, z-up world frame, and is not declared in the overlay. The wrist poses use the same world frame. If your robot logs poses in its pelvis frame, transform them to the world frame in your converter, using the pelvis pose. Hands on arms. The hands here have no end_pose of their own: a hand is paired with the arm of the same side (left_hand with left_arm), whose end_pose is the wrist. Give a hand its own end_pose only when it is not rigidly attached to that wrist pose. Joint vectors. One vector signal per part, with names in exactly the vector’s order. Prefer measured joint positions; publish commanded positions, velocities and motor torques as further signals under any name. Forces. The hands use the contact-force form (unit N, one value per fingertip). The ankles use the single-wrench form (dim 6, components fx … tz): it carries newtons and newton-metres together, so the unit is stated in note rather than unit. Tactile hands with a full wrench per fingertip use the per-contact wrench form.

Variations

Your robot	Change
Parallel grippers instead of hands	drop the `hand` parts; add a `grip` signal (unit `"1"`, 0 = closed … 1 = open) to each `arm`
Wheeled base, no legs	drop the `leg` parts; keep the body pose
A whole-body skeleton from motion capture or a state estimator	add a `body` part with `keypoints`: one `nomadic.Skeleton` channel carrying every tracked joint
No joint encoders on the hands, only hand tracking	replace each hand’s `joints` with `keypoints` (see Egocentric)
A `foot` pose from your state estimator	add it as the leg’s `end_pose`. Preflight reminds you that a part’s pose is never the body pose; that is expected.

Nomadic MCAP Specification

Examples

Channels

Overlay

Notes

Variations

​Channels

​Overlay

​Notes

​Variations

Channels

Overlay

Notes

Variations