Modes & State Machine

The robot is always in exactly one mode. Modes are switched with the mode command and reported back in every status frame.

Modes

Mode	Meaning
DAMP	Motors damped/limp. Safe resting state; the robot cannot walk.
PREP	Preparation. The robot extends and holds its body, ready to stand. Motors are active.
WALK	Walking/teleoperation. Locomotion (move) and joysticks are active.
CUSTOM	Developer mode (reported in status).
PROTECT	Protective state the robot may enter on a fault (reported in status).

Typical transitions

DAMP  ──(slide to confirm)──▶  PREP  ──(place on ground)──▶  WALK
  ▲                                                            │
  └──────────────────  estop / Stop  ◀─────────────────────────┘

• From DAMP, entering PREP is guarded by a slide-to-confirm action, because the robot physically extends its body.
• WALK can only be entered after PREP (the app disables the WALK button until then).
• Emergency stop (estop) always returns the robot to DAMP from any state.

What each mode enables

Capability	DAMP	PREP	WALK
Locomotion (move) / joysticks	–	–	✓
get_up action	–	✓	–
Head control (head)	–	✓	✓
Emergency stop (estop)	✓	✓	✓

Mode hints in the app

The control screen turns the current mode into a plain-language instruction — for example "In DAMP mode. Switch to PREP and stand steadily" or "Place robot on ground and switch to WALK mode" — so operators always know the next safe step.

Emergency stop requires a restart of the control service

On the uMe platform, an emergency stop halts the control service; bringing the robot back to WALK means going through PREP again.