cumotion_nvblox_pose_to_pose.launch.py doesn't launch planner node, ESDF not generated, and robot segmentor not masking correctly with FR3 + Realsense

Question

Summary

When launching cumotion_nvblox_pose_to_pose.launch.py using FR3 and a single Realsense camera, I encounter the following issues:

1. The cumotion_planner node does not launch.
2. ESDF is not generated by NVBlox by default.
3. Robot segmentor does not mask the robot – in the depth_seg_image, the robot is still visible (not highlighted in white as expected).

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🧪 Setup

• Robot: FR3 (Franka Emika Panda)
• Camera: 1x Intel Realsense
• Launch file used: cumotion_nvblox_pose_to_pose.launch.py

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❗ Observed Behavior

1. cumotion_planner node inactive

   • The node doesn’t launch when using the launch file mentioned above.

2. ESDF not auto-generated

   • No ESDF topics like /nvblox_node/esdf_map/out are published.
   • However, when I manually call the following service:

     ros2 service call /nvblox_node/get_esdf_and_gradient nvblox_msgs/srv/EsdfAndGradients "update_esdf: true
     visualize_esdf: true
     use_aabb: true
     frame_id: 'base_link'
     aabb_min_m:
       x: -1.0
       y: -1.0
       z: -0.5
     aabb_size_m:
       x: 2.0
       y: 2.0
       z: 2.0
     spheres_to_clear_radius_m: []"
     

     NVBlox successfully returns voxel data for the requested bounding box. So voxel computation appears to be working, but not triggered automatically.

3. Robot not masked by robot segmentor

   • In the output depth segmentation image, the robot is not masked (not in white).
   • I believe masking should highlight the robot in white if working correctly.

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After esdf service call the voxels come in rviz

✅ Expected Behavior

• cumotion_planner node should launch automatically via the launch file.
• NVBlox should continuously generate and publish ESDF layers.
• Robot should be masked (white) in depth segmentation images by the robot segmentor.

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🔍 Questions

• Is there a config flag I need to enable (e.g. esdf_enabled: true or similar)?
• Does NVBlox require certain TFs or topics before publishing ESDF automatically?
• How should the robot segmentor be configured to correctly identify and mask the robot?

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📚 Request for Help

Would appreciate if you could share:

• Example working configurations for:
  • cumotion planner integration
  • ESDF generation via NVBlox
  • Robot segmentor masking
• Any troubleshooting references for launch behavior and masking issues

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🧾 Additional Context

Happy to provide the following if needed:

• Full launch output logs
• RViz visualizations
• TF tree structure and URDF setup

Thanks for your help!

Start with cumotion_nvblox_pose_to_pose.launch.py and reproduce the FR3 plus single Realsense setup. Check the cumotion_planner state, the /nvblox_node/esdf_map/out topics before and after the documented get_esdf_and_gradient service call, and the depth_seg_image output. Done means the planner launches, ESDF is published continuously, and the robot is masked in the segmentation image.