OpenArm CAN Library

A C++ library for CAN communication with OpenArm robotic hardware, supporting Damiao motors over CAN/CAN-FD interfaces. This library is a part of OpenArm. See detailed setup guide and docs here.

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Linux with SocketCAN support
• CAN interface hardware
• CMake 3.22+
• C++17 compiler

1. Setup CAN Interface

Configure your CAN interface using the provided script:

# CAN 2.0 (default)
setup/configure_socketcan.sh can0

# CAN-FD with 5Mbps data rate
setup/configure_socketcan.sh can0 -fd

2. C++ Library

Build & Install:

cd openarm_can
cmake -S . -B build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
cmake --build build
sudo cmake --install build

Usage:

#include <openarm/can/socket/openarm.hpp>
#include <openarm/damiao_motor/dm_motor_constants.hpp>

openarm::can::socket::OpenArm arm("can0", true);  // CAN-FD enabled
std::vector<openarm::damiao_motor::MotorType> motor_types = {
    openarm::damiao_motor::MotorType::DM4310, openarm::damiao_motor::MotorType::DM4310};
std::vector<uint32_t> send_can_ids = {0x01, 0x02};
std::vector<uint32_t> recv_can_ids = {0x11, 0x12};

openarm.init_arm_motors(motor_types, send_can_ids, recv_can_ids);
openarm.enable_all();

3. Python (🚧 EXPERIMENTAL - TEMPORARY 🚧)

⚠️ WARNING: UNSTABLE API ⚠️ Python bindings are currently a direct low level temporary port, and will change DRASTICALLY. The interface is may break between versions.Use at your own risk! Discussions on the interface are welcomed.

Build & Install:

Please ensure that you build and install the C++ library first, as described above.

cd python

# Create and activate virtual environment (recommended)
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate

./build.sh

Usage:

# WARNING: This API is unstable and will change!
import openarm_can as oa

arm = oa.OpenArm("can0", True)  # CAN-FD enabled
arm.init_arm_motors([oa.MotorType.DM4310], [0x01], [0x11])
arm.enable_all()

Examples

• C++: examples/demo.cpp - Complete arm control demo
• Python: python/examples/example.py - Basic Python usage

For developers

See dev/README.md.

Related links

• 📚 Read the documentation
• 💬 Join the community on Discord
• 📬 Contact us through openarm@enactic.ai

License

Licensed under the Apache License 2.0. See LICENSE.txt for details.

Copyright 2025 Enactic, Inc.

Code of Conduct

All participation in the OpenArm project is governed by our Code of Conduct.