The Send Controller Command (send_controller_command) node provides a direct way to dispatch controller commands to a digital twin. Unlike Virtual Controller (which resolves commands dynamically from upstream strings), this node lets you explicitly select the twin, controller policy, and specific command at configuration time.
Palette category: Actuation. Runs on cloud (Celery MQTT or inference dispatch) and edge (worker client.mqtt.publish, keyboard/teleop only). Model controllers (mlmodel/vla) are cloud-only.
Configuration flow
The inspector guides you through a three-step cascade:
- Select digital twin — choose the target twin in the bound environment
- Select controller policy — pick from compatible controllers (filtered by the twin’s asset)
- Select command (keyboard/teleop) or configure instruction (model controllers)
For keyboard/teleop controllers the command dropdown lists every available actuation from the policy’s keyboard_bindings and display_config.widgets. For model controllers the instruction input accepts a text prompt for inference.
| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|
twin_uuid | string | Yes | Target twin. Set in inspector (Twin combobox). |
controller_policy_uuid | string | Yes | Controller policy. Set in inspector (Controller dropdown). |
command | string | No | Actuation string for keyboard/teleop controllers (e.g. move_forward). Set in inspector or wired from upstream. |
params | object | No | Command parameters (e.g. {"linear_x": 1.5}). Overrides binding defaults. Can be wired from upstream. |
instruction | string | No | Text prompt for model/VLA controllers. Ignored for keyboard controllers. |
Keyboard/teleop controllers
When a keyboard or teleop controller is selected:
- The command dropdown shows all available actuations with labels and key bindings
- The
params input can override the binding’s default playground data (velocity, etc.)
- At runtime the node publishes to
cyberwave/twin/{uuid}/command with the same MQTT payload shape as keyboard teleoperation
MQTT payload
{
"source_type": "tele",
"command": "move_forward",
"data": {"linear_x": 1.5},
"timestamp": 1710000000.0
}
| Field | Cloud workflow | Edge worker |
|---|
source_type | tele (live) or sim_tele (simulation) | edge |
command | Selected actuation slug | Selected actuation slug |
data | From params input or binding defaults | From params input |
timestamp | Server-side time.time() | Worker-side time.time() |
Model controllers (mlmodel/vla)
When a model controller is selected:
- The instruction input accepts a natural language prompt (e.g. “pick up the red block”)
- Additional parameters (max_steps, mode) can be passed via
params
- At runtime the node dispatches inference through
ControllerPolicyExecutionService
- Model controllers run cloud-only — edge compilation will fail
Outputs
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|
twin_uuid | string | Target twin |
controller_policy_uuid | string | Controller policy used |
controller_type | string | e.g. teleop, mlmodel, vla |
command | string | Actuation or instruction sent |
sent | boolean | Whether the command was dispatched |
topic | string | MQTT topic (keyboard/teleop) |
payload | object | Full MQTT payload or inference result |
source_type | string | tele / sim_tele / edge |
When to use
| Scenario | Recommended node |
|---|
| Send a specific known command (e.g. “move forward at speed 1.5”) | Send Controller Command |
| Resolve a dynamic command from voice/text input | Virtual Controller + Fuzzy Matcher pipeline |
| Send a raw MQTT message with custom topic and payload | Send MQTT |
- Virtual Controller — dynamic command resolution from upstream strings
- Info Controller — read controller policy metadata
- Send MQTT — generic MQTT publish
