You can run Elephant Robotics’ ROS stack in Docker, but its documented container workflow uses host X display forwarding—not a browser-based noVNC desktop. A genuine noVNC setup therefore adds a separate VNC server and web client layer that must be configured for the specific image, ROS distribution, desktop, and robot model you select.
Start with the vendor-supported ROS container, verify your hardware and firmware, then add and test the noVNC layer independently before connecting a physical arm.
What the official Docker workflow actually provides
Elephant Robotics’ mycobot_ros repository documents Docker and Docker Compose as an installation route for ROS Melodic and ROS Noetic. Its no-NVIDIA examples build the relevant service, run xhost +local:root to permit local X display access, and start the ROS container. The README describes this as building the container, allowing local X output, and launching the service.
The repository says its default example launches:
roslaunch mycobot_320 mycobot_320_slider.launch
That command opens the ROS graphical application on the host X display. It does not install a VNC server, expose a browser port, run websockify, or create a noVNC URL. Do not describe the vendor’s Docker example as a complete browser-accessible desktop.
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Check compatibility before touching hardware
The title does not identify a model. Elephant Robotics’ main myCobot repository lists multiple families, including myCobot 280 and 320. The ROS repository’s default Docker example targets a 320, so its launch file is not evidence that a 280, M5, Pi, or another controller variant uses the same package, ports, firmware, or connection settings.
- Confirm the exact arm and controller variant.
- Match the package and launch file to that model.
- Confirm the controller and Atom firmware requirements in the model documentation.
- Identify whether the arm will use a serial, network, or other supported connection.
- Use the ROS distribution supported by the branch you are installing.
The repository lists Ubuntu 16.04 with ROS Kinetic, Ubuntu 18.04 with ROS Melodic, and Ubuntu 20.04 with ROS Noetic in its ROS 1 support notes. These are the README’s stated combinations, not a promise of current operating-system lifecycle support or compatibility with every branch.
Separate the three display-access choices
| Approach | Where the display runs | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor Docker/X forwarding | The host X server | Runs the ROS GUI from the container; documented by the ROS repository |
| Robot VNC | The robot’s own computer | Remote access to a myCobot 320 Pi system over a network; documented in the Pi guide |
| noVNC in Docker | A browser connected to a VNC server associated with the container | The browser workflow implied by this title; not specified by the official ROS Docker README |
These are not interchangeable. Enabling xhost +local:root does not create a VNC service, and connecting to the robot’s VNC desktop does not place the ROS GUI inside a Docker noVNC session.
Build the vendor-supported ROS baseline first
- Install Docker and Docker Compose as required by the mycobot_ros README.
- Choose the repository’s Docker example matching your ROS distribution. The README provides variants for Melodic and Noetic, including NVIDIA service variants when an NVIDIA GPU is used.
- Build the service using the command shown in that README for your selected example.
- On a Linux host running X, grant the container local display access with the documented command
xhost +local:root. - Start the service using the repository’s documented Compose command.
- Confirm that the default 320 slider launch opens successfully before changing the display architecture.
If you use an NVIDIA variant, follow the repository’s GPU-specific service definition rather than adding unverified runtime flags. The no-NVIDIA and NVIDIA examples are separate configurations.
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A browser-based desktop requires components that the ROS README does not define: a desktop session, a VNC server attached to that session, a websockify bridge, noVNC web assets, and a published container port. The exact Dockerfile, base image, packages, startup process, authentication, display number, and port mapping depend on the image you choose.
Because those values are not established in the official sources, do not copy a generic port or browser URL and assume it will work. Treat the noVNC layer as a tutorial-specific configuration and validate it against the selected image. At minimum, verify:
- The VNC server starts after the container’s display environment is available.
- The ROS GUI uses the same display that the VNC server exports.
- websockify points to the correct VNC host and port.
- The published port reaches the web client without exposing the service beyond the intended network.
- The browser session shows the ROS desktop before any robot connection is enabled.
A safe sequence is to run the ROS GUI against a simulated or disconnected robot first, then test model-specific communication, and only afterward permit motion commands to reach physical hardware.
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Do not confuse robot VNC with container noVNC
The myCobot 320 Pi system instructions describe using a VNC viewer to reach the robot computer over the same Wi-Fi network. They also describe joining the robot’s hotspot and connecting to 10.42.0.1. That workflow accesses the Pi system itself; it does not configure a VNC server or noVNC client inside your Docker container.
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Install dependencies for local ROS work
If Docker is not the right fit, Elephant Robotics’ ROS environment guide identifies ROS and MoveIt as dependencies. For interaction with a real arm, it identifies the pymycobot API. The repository’s local-install path provides pip install pymycobot --user and build instructions. Keep this local installation separate from the Docker route; installing the Python API on the host does not automatically install it in a container.
Troubleshoot by layer
The container starts but no window appears
That is an X-display problem, not a noVNC problem. Check the host display variables, the container’s display mapping, and whether the documented xhost +local:root permission was applied. The official workflow assumes a host X server.
The browser opens but shows a blank or disconnected desktop
Check the desktop session, VNC server, websockify target, and published port independently. A browser connection alone does not prove that the ROS GUI is attached to the exported display.
The slider launches but the arm does not respond
Stop before issuing motion commands. Verify the model-specific launch file, controller and Atom firmware, connection method, permissions, and pymycobot dependency. The 320 launch example should not be reused blindly for another family.
The robot is unreachable over VNC
For a 320 Pi, place the computer and robot on the same Wi-Fi network, or join the robot hotspot and use the documented address 10.42.0.1. This checks access to the robot’s own system, not access to a Docker noVNC desktop.
Quick Recap
Practical decision guide
- Use the official X-forwarding Docker workflow when you have a Linux desktop and only need the ROS GUI locally.
- Use the robot’s documented VNC access when your goal is to operate the 320 Pi system remotely over Wi-Fi.
- Use containerized noVNC only when you specifically need browser access and are prepared to supply and validate the missing VNC, websockify, desktop, and port configuration.
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