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Architecture Update Summary

Purpose

Preserve historical context while signaling that this page requires verification against the current workflow.

Prerequisites

  • Review the legacy notes below to understand original assumptions and instructions.
  • Cross-check commands and links with the latest tooling before execution.

Steps

  1. Read through the legacy notes captured under Legacy Notes and flag outdated guidance.
  2. Update or replace the content with validated procedures as time permits.
  3. Record verification outcomes in the validation checklist and mark follow-up tasks in the backlog.

Legacy Notes

Date: October 4, 2025
Version: v0.1.0 → v0.2.0

🎯 What Happened

ShadowHound architecture has been completely redesigned to leverage the DIMOS (Dimensional Framework) for Unitree robots, eliminating the need to build robot infrastructure from scratch.

📊 Impact

Code Reduction

  • Removed: ~3 packages worth of infrastructure code (interfaces, robot, core skills)
  • Kept: 3 packages for mission-specific implementations
  • Estimated savings: 80% less code to write and maintain

Time to Value

  • Before: Months to build robot control, skills, agents, perception
  • After: Days to integrate DIMOS and start implementing missions
  • Accelerated: Can focus on mission logic immediately

Capabilities Gained

From DIMOS out-of-the-box: - ✅ Full robot control (UnitreeGo2, UnitreeROSControl) - ✅ Skills framework (AbstractRobotSkill, SkillLibrary) - ✅ Agent integration (OpenAIAgent, PlanningAgent) - ✅ Perception (object detection, tracking, spatial memory) - ✅ Path planning (VFH local, A* global) - ✅ Web interface (FastAPI with video streaming) - ✅ RxPY reactive streams

📝 Documentation Changes

Updated Files

  1. docs/project.md (641 lines)
  2. New DIMOS-based architecture diagrams
  3. Integration instructions
  4. Custom skill templates

  5. Updated implementation phases

  6. docs/dimos_integration.md (NEW - 250+ lines)

  7. Detailed integration plan
  8. Week-by-week implementation guide
  9. Code examples for each phase

  10. Key DIMOS component reference

  11. docs/arch_update_summary.md (THIS FILE)

Files to Update Next

  • .github/copilot-instructions.md - Update with DIMOS patterns
  • README.md - Add DIMOS quick start
  • Create shadowhound.repos - VCS dependencies

🏗️ New Architecture

Layer Stack

ShadowHound Application (Launch files, configs)
        ↓
DIMOS Agents (OpenAIAgent, PlanningAgent)
        ↓
DIMOS Skills + ShadowHound Custom Skills
        ↓
DIMOS Robot (UnitreeGo2, UnitreeROSControl)
        ↓
Hardware (go2_ros2_sdk)

Package Structure

Removed: - ❌ shadowhound_interfaces - ❌ shadowhound_robot
- ❌ Core shadowhound_skills implementations

Kept/Modified: - ✅ shadowhound_bringup (launch files for missions) - ✅ shadowhound_skills (mission-specific skills only) - ✅ shadowhound_mission_agent (high-level orchestration)

🔄 Updated Implementation Phases

Phase 0: DIMOS Integration (CURRENT)

  • Add DIMOS to workspace
  • Verify integration
  • Test basic robot control

Phase 1: Custom Skills

  • PatrolArea
  • SearchForObject
  • InvestigateAnomaly
  • ReportFindings

Phase 2: Hardware Testing

  • Validate on real Go2
  • Safety testing
  • Performance tuning

Phase 3: Mission Agent

  • Natural language missions
  • Multi-mission scheduling
  • Error recovery

Phase 4-6: Advanced Features

  • Enhanced perception
  • Deployment optimization
  • Complex missions

🎓 Key Learnings

What DIMOS Provides

  1. Robot Abstraction: UnitreeGo2 class with high-level methods
  2. Skills Framework: Pydantic-based skill definitions with type validation
  3. Agent Integration: Function calling with auto-generated tool definitions
  4. Reactive Streams: RxPY for managing real-time sensor data
  5. Command Queue: Safe management of multi-step actions
  6. Transform Management: tf2-based localization
  7. Web Interface: FastAPI with WebSocket video streaming

What ShadowHound Adds

  1. Mission-specific skills: Patrol, search, investigate patterns
  2. Mission planning: Higher-level task decomposition
  3. Deployment configs: Launch files for specific mission types
  4. Domain knowledge: Security/patrol-specific behaviors

📚 References

  • DIMOS GitHub: https://github.com/dimensionalOS/dimos-unitree
  • Project Context: docs/project.md
  • Integration Plan: docs/dimos_integration.md
  • Original Design: docs/project.md.backup (v0.1.0)

✅ Verification

To verify this update is working:

# 1. Check docs are updated
ls -lh docs/project.md docs/dimos_integration.md

# 2. Verify architecture diagrams show DIMOS layers
grep -A 10 "Layer Overview" docs/project.md

# 3. Confirm package structure is simplified
grep -A 20 "Package Structure" docs/project.md

# 4. Review integration plan
less docs/dimos_integration.md

🚀 Next Actions

  1. Review updated documentation with team
  2. Create shadowhound.repos with DIMOS dependencies
  3. Test DIMOS integration in devcontainer
  4. Begin Phase 0 implementation (DIMOS integration)

This architectural shift positions ShadowHound to deliver mission-critical capabilities faster by standing on the shoulders of the DIMOS framework.

Validation

  • [ ] Legacy guidance reviewed for accuracy and converted to the new workflow where applicable.
  • [ ] Links updated to use vault-friendly wikilinks or confirmed for external references.
  • [ ] Outstanding migration work captured as tasks in the backlog.

References