Get the nightly RBQ app from the Downloads page — RBQ Nightly on Google Play for Android, the TestFlight beta for iPhone and iPad, and the nightly AppImage for Linux desktop and Steam Deck.
The RBQ app is the operator application for the RBQ quadruped. Once connected to the robot you can change its posture (sit, stand, walk, stairs and more), drive it with on-screen or physical joysticks, watch the robot's cameras or a 3D view, and check battery, connection and system status.
One app runs on every supported device:
| Platform | Package | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Android tablet / phone | APK | Touch joysticks; a Bluetooth/USB gamepad can be used instead |
| iOS (iPad / iPhone) | App Store / TestFlight build | MFi gamepads are supported |
| Linux desktop | AppImage | Keyboard, mouse and gamepad input |
| Steam Deck | AppImage (Gaming Mode) | Built-in controller is used as the gamepad |
The app opens on the Hub. Its header shows the selected robot's name and connection state on the left — tap the name to open the robot list. At the top right sit the profile button and the same group as the control screen's top bar: the warning count, the Robot battery, your device battery and the red E-STOP button, which stays dimmed until a robot is connected.
Every other screen carries the same header with the logo and a Control button at the top left: the logo opens a menu of the main screens, the hub included, and Control goes straight to the control screen. The right side of the header stays the same on every screen, so E-STOP is always in the same place.
| Screen | Reach it with | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Control | Control button on the hub | Live camera / 3D viewport, motion buttons, joysticks, drive settings — see Control home. Opens once a robot is connected or the sim is running |
| Dashboard | Dashboard tile | Monitoring cards: system, joints and posture, configuration |
| Settings | Settings tile | Payload setup, gamepad, app settings — see Settings. The robot tabs are locked while spectating |
| Maintenance | Maintenance tile | Power / System, calibration, robot check, PTZ check (robots with a PTZ); more sections in developer mode — see Maintenance. A dot on the tile means a finished PTZ check result has not been viewed yet. While spectating it shows only remote check |
| Update | Update tile | Software update (robot software and this app) and firmware update (boards inside the robot) — see Update. A dot on the tile means an update is ready to install. Locked while spectating |
| Logs | Logs tile | Real-time robot log, system log and black-box playback — see Logs |
| Media | Media tile | Photos, recordings, black-box clips and voice recordings kept on the robot, and sounds to play through it. Opens once a robot is connected |
The Guide tile opens this manual. Robots are connected and added from the robot list — see Connection.
The control screen's top bar comes in two groups. On the left: the logo, the status light (tap it for Overall system status), the current gait and the signal strength — plus a SLAM chip while an external program is driving. On the right: the warning count, the Robot battery, your device battery and the red E-STOP button. On a Steam Deck or a PC, the X next to it closes the app — the robot keeps running.
Tap the Robot battery for its details: charge level, voltage and — on CAN-FD robots, while charging — roughly how long it takes to reach 80%. Above 80% charging slows down by an amount that depends on the charger, so the app gives only an upper bound for the rest. It also warns when a charger is connected but no current flows, or when only one battery pack is detected.
The app runs at the operator tier by default, and every screen described in this manual is available there. Developer mode unlocks additional items intended for customer developers and integrators — extra motions, the developer sections of Maintenance, camera calibration and the external-control toggle on the control home, and a few advanced fields in Settings.
To enable it, open the profile menu (the round button at the top right), turn on the Developer mode toggle and enter the password. The password is issued by Rainbow Robotics and is not printed in this manual.
What each screen gains, how to turn it on and off, and which actions to be careful with are all collected on Developer mode.
