Quickstart Guide

Welcome to the NML Hand Exoskeleton Quickstart Guide! This guide will help you get the system up and running in just a few steps.

Prerequisites

  • A compatible microcontroller (e.g. OpenRB-150) flashed with the firmware.

  • The NML Hand Exoskeleton hardware (properly assembled).

  • A USB cable to connect the device to your computer.

  • Python 3.x (optional, for higher-level scripting).

  • A serial terminal program (e.g. PuTTY, Arduino Serial Monitor) or the provided Python API.

Step 1. Connect the Device

  1. Plug the exoskeleton’s control board into your computer’s USB port.

  2. Ensure that the device is recognized by your operating system (typically shows up as a COM port on Windows or /dev/ttyUSBx on Linux).

Step 2. Launch Serial Terminal

  1. Open your preferred serial terminal program.

  2. Set the baud rate to 57600 (default).

  3. Select the correct serial port (COMx on Windows, /dev/ttyUSBx on Linux, or ‘dev.usbmodemxxx’ on MacOS).

  4. Connect and open the terminal.

Step 3. Send a Test Command

Once connected, try sending a simple command to make sure you can communicate with the dynamixel motors. See if the led can turn on:

led:1:on

If it turns on, you are good to go! If not, check your connections and ensure the device is powered on.

Next Steps