MicroDuck daemon 0.15.2: Pickup Pause, Shutdown & Logs

Capture a useful baseline before upgrading.

robotctl version
robotctl update check daemon
robotctl configure --list --json
robotctl policy list
robotctl health
robotctl logs robotd -n 100

configure --list shows settings that differ from defaults. Empty output can mean no overrides, rather than a broken command. The logs command arrived in 0.15.1, so an older installation may not recognise it. It reads through configd without sudo; -b -1 requests the previous boot. Official 0.15.2 command reference ↗

Pickup pause holds a stance; it does not cut power.

0.15.2 includes a detector that pauses policy control while the robot is held and hands control back when it judges the robot is on its feet. The joints hold a pause stance with torque enabled. A pause therefore does not make the robot safe to repair, and putting it down can resume motion. The documentation describes about 0.2 seconds for detection; this is an upstream description, not a latency measured by this site. Official pickup detection change #349 ↗

Inspect PICKED UP in robotctl monitor and the pickup/put-down edges in the robotd log. Keep the policy, daemon version and the actual support conditions in your report. The detector was trained in simulation; its source explains that current features are excluded by the shipped network. Do not present it as a direct force sensor or assume every modified replica is covered. Pickup detector: model contract and pause behaviour ↗

Shutdown and control limits need a fresh expectation.

The normal shutdown sequence now moves from the seated policy pose into a recorded rest pose before torque is disabled. Give that transition clearance and time; compare logs if the movement differs from the expected sequence. Official shutdown rest-pose change #347 ↗

sudo robotctl configure exposes controller limits including maximum forward, lateral and yaw commands. Save the existing overrides before editing. A configured maximum bounds a command; it is not a measured attainable speed or a gait evaluation. Accept the restart/reload offered for the setting you changed. Official control-limit configuration change #345 ↗

What 0.15.1 contributes on the way from 0.15.0.

0.15.1 added journal access via robotctl, kept an explicitly stopped robotd from being restarted by padd or mediad, corrected homing-offset handling for an adopted knee, and changed development SSH defaults to microduck. Its release also reports fixes for ToF sensor-loss log storms and Linux Bluetooth connectivity. These belong to the October 1 release; use its changelog when diagnosing that version. Official daemon 0.15.1 release · October 1 ↗

Update software and policies as two separate decisions.

If the stable-source check offers the intended version, support the robot, keep power stable and use sudo robotctl update apply daemon during a restart window. Then read version, health, update log and the baseline again. A previous installed daemon is required for sudo robotctl update rollback daemon. Official daemon 0.15.2 release · October 5 ↗

The official policy set has a separate update stream. See policy management for the October model changes and the important exception: updating the official set leaves a manually loaded slot override in place.

Where to go next.