Web contract (MollyDashboard)

How MollyDashboard talks to the robot. Every name and type is defined in interfaces.md; this page lists what the dashboard uses and how.

Connections

	Default	Started by
rosbridge WebSocket	ws://<robot>:9090	molly_bringup robot.launch.py (web:=true, WEB=true in the env file), molly_bridge web.launch.py
Camera (MJPEG)	http://<robot>:8080/stream?topic=/camera/camera/color/image_raw&type=mjpeg&quality=60&width=960	web_video_server, same switch
Camera snapshot	http://<robot>:8080/snapshot?topic=/camera/camera/color/image_raw	same

rosbridge only exposes the names below (the whitelist in molly_bridge/core/web.py, given to rosbridge as topics_glob, services_glob, params_glob): the dashboard can never publish on the driver's /<robot_ns>/cmd_vel, only on /control/remote/dashboard/cmd_vel through the control mux (e-stop, speed envelope, protective field, health speed scale). Keep the robot's web ports on the robot's own network.

Read (subscribe)

Topic	Type	Use
/map	nav_msgs/msg/OccupancyGrid	map canvas (latched; live while mapping, throttle 1000 ms)
/localization/pose	geometry_msgs/msg/PoseWithCovarianceStamped	robot on the map (throttle 100 ms)
/localization/status	dharma_interfaces/msg/LocalizationStatus	localized or not, source
/site/status	dharma_interfaces/msg/SiteStatus	active site, site list, counts
/site/pois	molly_interfaces/msg/PoiArray	POIs on the map and in the editor
/site/tours	molly_interfaces/msg/TourArray	tours
/mapping/status	dharma_interfaces/msg/MappingStatus	mapping session
/planner/status	dharma_interfaces/msg/PlannerStatus	walking to a goal
/planner/path	nav_msgs/msg/Path	planned path on the map
/navigation/status	dharma_interfaces/msg/NavigationStatus	follower state, pause reasons
/navigation/path	nav_msgs/msg/Path	the loaded route
/docking/status	dharma_interfaces/msg/DockingStatus	docking state
/tour/state	molly_interfaces/msg/TourState	tour progress, the authority for the tour UI
/interaction/speech_status	molly_interfaces/msg/SpeechStatus	what the robot is saying
/interaction/greeter	molly_interfaces/msg/GreeterStatus	greeter state, last greeting
/interaction/conversation	molly_interfaces/msg/Conversation	question, answer, latency, success
/perception/visitors	molly_interfaces/msg/Visitors	visitors around the robot (throttle 500 ms)
/control/status	dharma_interfaces/msg/ControlStatus	mode (auto / remote, source), e-stop and its reasons, protective field, speed scale
/health/status	dharma_interfaces/msg/HealthStatus	level, issues, sensors, CPU / GPU / RAM, temperature
/odometry/status	dharma_interfaces/msg/OdometryStatus	odometry state
/robot/battery	sensor_msgs/msg/BatteryState	battery (percentage 0–1)
/robot/imu	sensor_msgs/msg/Imu	attitude (throttle 200 ms)
/robot/state	lite3_interfaces/msg/RobotState	Lite3 state: basic state, gait, ultrasound (robot specific, optional)
/robot/diagnostics	diagnostic_msgs/msg/DiagnosticArray	driver diagnostics
/rosout	rcl_interfaces/msg/Log	log viewer

Write (publish)

Topic	Type	Use
/control/remote/dashboard/cmd_vel	geometry_msgs/msg/Twist	teleop at 10–20 Hz, only effective in remote mode with the source dashboard; send zero on release
/control/estop_request	std_msgs/msg/String	engage the e-stop with a reason
/tour/cmd	molly_interfaces/msg/TourCommand	tour control without an answer (prefer /tour/control)
/interaction/say_text	std_msgs/msg/String	quick phrases

Call (services)

Service	Type	Use
/site/list, /site/load	ListSites, LoadSite	site picker
/mapping/start, /mapping/stop, /mapping/save	StartMapping, std_srvs/srv/Trigger	mapping page
/localization/start, /localization/record_tags	std_srvs/srv/Trigger	localize, record tags
/site/save_poi, /site/delete_poi	SavePoi, DeleteById	POI editor (map click: x, y; yaw from a drag)
/site/save_tour, /site/delete_tour	SaveTour, DeleteById	tour editor
/planner/plan	PlanPath	preview a path
/planner/go_to, /planner/cancel	GoTo, std_srvs/srv/Trigger	walk to a POI / pose
/navigation/pause, /navigation/resume	std_srvs/srv/Trigger	hold / continue
/navigation/start, /navigation/stop, /navigation/load_path	Trigger, LoadPath	taught routes
/route/start, /route/stop, /route/mark_stop_point	Trigger, MarkStopPoint	teach a route
/guide/go_to_poi	GoToPoi	walk to one POI
/docking/dock, /docking/undock, /docking/cancel	std_srvs/srv/Trigger	docking
/tour/control, /tour/get_state	TourControl, GetTourState	tour control, state on (re)connect
/interaction/say, /interaction/stop_speech	Say, std_srvs/srv/Trigger	speak
/interaction/gesture	Gesture	gestures
/interaction/greet, /interaction/set_greeter	std_srvs/srv/Trigger, std_srvs/srv/SetBool	greeter
/interaction/ask	Ask	conversation panel
/control/set_mode	SetMode	{mode: remote, source: dashboard} to drive, {mode: auto} to hand back
/control/estop/engage, /control/estop/release	std_srvs/srv/Trigger	e-stop
/robot/stand_up, /robot/sit_down, /robot/emergency_stop, gaits, gestures	std_srvs/srv/Trigger	robot actions
/path_follower_node/get_parameters, /path_follower_node/set_parameters	rcl_interfaces/srv/GetParameters, SetParameters	walking speed and tuning
/rosapi/topics, /rosapi/nodes	rosapi	system page

On the wire the types are <package>/msg/<Name> and <package>/srv/<Name>; the POI, tour, visitor, speech and greeter types are molly_interfaces (in Molly 1.x some were dharma_interfaces or JSON strings), the status types dharma_interfaces.

Flows

Map a place. /mapping/start {site, reset: true} → drive in REMOTE (teleop panel or the handheld) while /map grows → at each AprilTag /localization/record_tags → add POIs here (/site/save_poi {poi: {name, ...}, at_robot_pose: true}) or later by clicking the map → /mapping/save → /mapping/stop.

Edit POIs. Click on the map: x, y in the map frame from the canvas projection (origin, resolution, the grid row flip), drag for the heading → /site/save_poi {poi, at_robot_pose: false}. The robot answers with the saved POI (id assigned); /site/pois updates every client.

Run a tour. /tour/control {command: {kind: 0, tour_id}} (START) (or poi_ids), the robot must be localized and in auto. Follow /tour/state; PAUSE / RESUME / SKIP / STOP the same way. On (re)connect, /tour/get_state gives the current state before the first message.

Walk somewhere. /guide/go_to_poi {poi_id} or /planner/go_to {x, y, yaw}; /planner/status and /planner/path show the walk; /planner/cancel stops it.

Drive. /control/set_mode {mode: remote, source: dashboard}, then /control/remote/dashboard/cmd_vel at 10–20 Hz (zeros first: the mux arms a source on a neutral command), /control/set_mode {mode: auto} to hand back; a running tour goes on.