Kenesis — AR Gesture-Controlled Robot

An end-to-end AR robotics system that enables intuitive gesture control of physical robots through Snap Spectacles, featuring real-time cloud communication and precision robotic manipulation.

🎯 Project Overview

Kenesis bridges the gap between augmented reality and physical robotics by creating a seamless gesture-to-motion pipeline. Users wearing Snap Spectacles can control a 3-DOF robotic arm and omnidirectional mobile base through natural hand gestures, with real-time feedback and sub-100ms latency.

Key Features:

• Natural Gesture Control: Pinch, grab, and target gestures captured via Snap's Lens Studio API
• Real-time Communication: Cloud-native MQTT pipeline for reliable command transmission
• Precision Robotics: ROS2-based control stack driving servo and DC motors
• Live Monitoring: Web dashboard for system status and gesture analytics
• Modular Hardware: 3D-printed chassis designed for easy maintenance and upgrades

🏗️ System Architecture

AR Spectacles → Lens Studio → Flask Server → HiveMQ MQTT → ROS2 Nodes → Robot Hardware
     ↓              ↓            ↓              ↓           ↓
  Gesture        Network      Cloud          Local      Motor
  Capture       Processing   Messaging      Control    Actuation

Components:

• Frontend: Snap Spectacles with custom Lens Studio application
• Cloud: Flask server + HiveMQ MQTT broker for scalable communication
• Edge: NVIDIA Jetson Nano running ROS2 control stack
• Hardware: Custom 3-DOF robotic arm + omnidirectional mobile platform

🚀 Quick Start

Backend Server

# Setup environment
python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate  # or .venv\Scripts\activate on Windows
pip install -r Backend/requirements.txt

# Run server
python Backend/app.py

# Test with gesture simulator
python Backend/gesture_simulator.py

ROS2 Robot Controller

ROS2 on Jetson Nano with motor controller setup guide

git clone https://github.com/ANonABento/htn_ros2_control_on_jetson_nano.git
# follow README

Lens Studio Project

1. Open Lens_Project/Kenesis.lsproj in Lens Studio
2. Configure server endpoint in Assets/GestureController.ts
3. Build and deploy to Spectacles or test in Preview

📡 API Reference

Gesture Events

{
  "type": "pinch_down" | "pinch_up" | "targeting" | "grab_begin" | "grab_end",
  "hand": "left" | "right",
  "confidence": 0.95,
  "rayOrigin": [x, y, z],
  "rayDirection": [x, y, z],
  "timestamp": "2025-01-20T15:30:00Z"
}

Robot Commands (MQTT)

{
  "command": "move_arm" | "drive_base" | "emergency_stop",
  "parameters": {
    "joint_angles": [θ1, θ2, θ3],
    "velocity": [vx, vy, ω]
  }
}

🔧 Hardware Specifications

Robot Platform:

• Compute: NVIDIA Jetson Nano 4GB
• Motors: 3x Servo motors (arm joints), 4x DC motors (omnidirectional wheels)
• Sensors: IMU, wheel encoders, camera module
• Power: 12V LiPo battery system
• Chassis: Custom 3D-printed modular design

AR Hardware:

• Device: Snap Spectacles (5th generation)
• Tracking: 6DOF head tracking + hand gesture recognition
• Display: Waveguide AR optics

📊 Performance Metrics

• Latency: <100ms gesture-to-robot response time
• Accuracy: 95%+ gesture recognition confidence
• Range: 10m+ MQTT communication range
• Battery: 2+ hours continuous operation
• Precision: ±2mm robotic arm positioning accuracy

🔮 Future Enhancements

• Multi-Robot Control: Orchestrate robot swarms through AR
• AI Integration: Computer vision for autonomous object manipulation
• Haptic Feedback: Force feedback through AR interface
• Voice Commands: Combined gesture + voice control modalities

📄 Project Structure

Kenesis/
├── Backend/                 # Flask server & MQTT bridge
│   ├── app.py              # Main server application
│   ├── gesture_simulator.py # Testing utilities
│   └── templates/          # Web dashboard
├── Lens_Project/           # Snap Lens Studio AR app
│   ├── Assets/             # TypeScript controllers
│   └── Kenesis.lsproj      # Lens Studio project
├── ROS2/                   # Robot control stack
│   ├── kenesis_control/    # Motor drivers & kinematics
│   └── kenesis_msgs/       # Custom message definitions
└── Hardware/               # CAD files & schematics
    ├── 3D_Models/          # STL files for 3D printing
    └── Electronics/        # Circuit diagrams

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Kenesis demonstrates the future of human-robot interaction, where physical and digital worlds seamlessly converge through intuitive AR interfaces.