# Get Current Payload Remotely

**URL:** <https://forum.universal-robots.com/t/get-current-payload-remotely/25977>\
**Category:** Technical Questions\
**Created:** [January 5, 2023, 10:06am UTC](https://forum.universal-robots.com/t/get-current-payload-remotely/25977 "2023-01-05T10:06:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![PMonforte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e36b37/32.png) [@PMonforte](https://forum.universal-robots.com/u/PMonforte)\
**Post date:** [January 5, 2023, 10:06am UTC](https://forum.universal-robots.com/t/get-current-payload-remotely/25977/1 "2023-01-05T10:06:17Z")

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Greetings URCommunity,

In my installation I have three different TCP and Payloads (three different tools). I would like to know if it is possible to remotely know the current payload. By this I do not mean the Active Payload since the latter and the former may not necessarily be the same.

E.g Let’s say my installation, by default, has Payload\_1 as Active but I have Tool\_2 in the robot. If I use the function get\_target\_payload() I will receive the payload for Tool\_1 even though Tool\_2 is the one attached to the robot. In other words, If I swtiched tools without changing the active payload manually, I would like to know if it is possible to always get the payload of whatever tool is attached to the robot regardless of whether the active payload corresponds to it.

Any help is much appreciated,  
Best Regards  
Pedro Monforte

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![roguebuck](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.universal-robots.com/roguebuck/32/4848_2.png) [@roguebuck](https://forum.universal-robots.com/u/roguebuck)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2023, 8:18pm UTC](https://forum.universal-robots.com/t/get-current-payload-remotely/25977/2 "2023-01-09T20:18:55Z")

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hmm… i dont think the real time controller actively calculates the current payload. In fact, the calculation is not trivial if the TCP orientation is anything other than aligned with gravity.

Unless you can build into your program some time for the robot to orient the TCP aligned with gravity and capture get\_tcp\_force(), you will have to do some math.

_ **Option 1:** _  
there are script functions get\_tcp\_force() and force().  
as far as accessing this remotely, you will have to either send the above scripts over the primary (or secondary) interface

_ **Option 2:** _  
RTDE interface does have both “tcp\_force\_scalar” (double float; the normal of Fx, Fy, Fz) and “actual\_TCP\_force” (6xVector; (Fx,Fy,Fz,Mx,My,Mz))

see here for mote access: [Overview of client interfaces - 21744](https://www.universal-robots.com/articles/ur/interface-communication/overview-of-client-interfaces/)