Gamepad Teleoperation Setup Guide
MoveIt Pro supports standard USB game controllers for hands-on robot teleoperation. A gamepad can be used to jog the robot in real-time (Pose mode) or to position the interactive marker for IK-based motion planning (Interactive Marker mode).
MoveIt Pro also provides four UI-based teleoperation modes (Interactive Marker, Pose, Joint, and Waypoints) that require no additional hardware. See the UI-Based Teleoperation Guide for details.
Supported Controllers
MoveIt Pro supports standard USB game controllers, including Xbox controllers, and provides intuitive mapping for robot control.
- Xbox 360 Controller: Full support over USB or wireless connections
- Xbox One Controller: Compatible over wired connections with no additional setup
- Generic USB gamepads: Most standard USB game controllers work out of the box
Setup Requirements
- Simply plug in your USB controller when MoveIt Pro UI is launched
- MoveIt Pro uses your browser's built-in game controller support
- For Xbox One wireless dongles, xow is required
Control Mapping
Each teleoperation mode has its own gamepad layout. The live mapping — sticks, triggers, bumpers, and action buttons — is shown directly in the MoveIt Pro sidebar whenever a gamepad is connected, so you can reference the current bindings without leaving the UI.
Pose Teleop
Sends continuous velocity commands to jog the robot directly. The left stick drives translational velocity, the right stick drives rotational velocity (pitch/roll), the triggers move along Z, and the bumpers yaw around Z.
Interactive Marker
Moves the interactive marker in 3D space for IK-based motion planning. Stick and trigger axes translate/rotate the marker, and the IK preview updates in real time. When all sticks return to center the target pose is stored, ready for planning and execution. Action buttons (plan / approve / reset) are shown on the in-app mapping alongside the axes.
MoveIt Pro does not work with game controllers in headless mode. The browser's Gamepad API requires an active, focused browser window to detect and poll controller input. Headless or background tabs will not receive gamepad events.