[Question] How to implement articulated attach/detach between multiple robots in Isaac Lab?

[yilin404]

Question

Hello Isaac Lab team,

Thank you for the great work on Isaac Lab.

I am currently working on a project that involves multi-robot systems with articulated physical connections, and I would like to ask for guidance on whether Isaac Lab supports this use case and what the recommended implementation approach would be.

Background

Specifically, I am trying to implement a scenario where:

• Two independent robots (e.g., a front robot and a rear robot)
• Can be physically articulated together via a joint, forming an articulated vehicle–like structure
• And later physically detached during runtime, returning to two independent robots

This requires:

• Creating an articulated joint between two separate robot articulations
• Dynamically attaching and detaching this joint during simulation
• Ensuring physical stability and correct collision handling during attach/detach

My Questions

• Does Isaac Lab officially support runtime creation and removal of joints between two existing robot articulations?
• Is there a recommended pattern for implementing articulated connections between multiple robots, rather than within a single articulation asset?
• Are there any examples, discussions, or best practices related to dynamic articulated assembly / disassembly in Isaac Lab?

Any pointers, documentation references, or design suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you very much for your time and support.

[RandomOakForest]

Thank you for posting this. Isaac Lab 2.3 (on Isaac Sim 5.1) does not expose a high‑level “attach two articulations” primitive today, but Isaac Sim’s PhysX/Robot Assembler and AutoAttachment APIs do support runtime creation of fixed joints/attachments between existing rigid bodies, which you can call from Isaac Lab tasks. A pattern for your use case would be to 1) keep each robot as its own articulation, 2) attach selected links via a runtime PhysX attachment or fixed joint, and 3) manage RL tensors so they remain compatible when the kinematic topology changes.

I'll move this post to our Discussions section for follow up. Thank you for your interest in Isaac Lab.