Baxter simulator

RSDK Wiki: http://github.com/RethinkRobotics/sdk-docs/wiki

Repository Description

Necessary files for the Gazebo™ simulation of the Baxter Research Robot from Rethink Robotics Inc.

Prequisites

• Setup Github - the git@github.com urls, below, only work if you have Setup Github and generated SSH Keys for Github.

• Ensure the following software packages are installed:

$ sudo sh -c 'echo "deb http://packages.osrfoundation.org/gazebo/ubuntu precise main" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/gazebo-latest.list'
$ wget http://packages.osrfoundation.org/gazebo.key -O - | sudo apt-key add -
$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get install python-wstool python-rosdep ros-groovy-pcl-conversions ros-groovy-control-msgs ros-groovy-cmake-modules ros-groovy-qt-build ros-groovy-moveit-full ros-groovy-driver-common ros-groovy-image-common ros-groovy-rostest gazebo

You have already downloaded and installed the Rethink Robotics SDK into a catkin workspace

Baxter Installation

• From your catkin workspace where the SDK resides, use wstool to install and update:

    $ cd ~/ros_ws/src
    $ git clone git@github.com:RethinkRobotics/baxter_simulator.git
# IMPORTANT EARLY-DEV-RELEASE STEPS:
    $ cd baxter_simulator
    $ git checkout early_interface_dev
    $ cd ..
    $ wstool init # need to do this only if this is a new workspace where this command was not executed before.
    $ wstool merge baxter_simulator/baxter_simulator.rosinstall
    $ wstool update

• Install other dependent packages:

    $ cd ~/ros_ws/src
    $ git clone https://github.com/ros/xacro.git -b hydro-devel
    $ git clone https://github.com/ros/roslint.git

• Build:

    $ source /opt/ros/groovy/setup.bash
    $ cd ~/ros_ws
    $ catkin_make
    $ catkin_make install 

• Use baxter.sh - it has a special hook for sim:

    $ cp src/baxter/baxter.sh .

###Edit the your_ip value in baxter.sh

• Run the script with sim specified:

    $ ./baxter.sh sim

Simulation

• Start simulation with controllers:

  $ roslaunch baxter_gazebo baxter_world.launch
  

  By default the robot would be in disabled state. To enable, run the enable_robot script from the baxter_tools package. To start and switch the controllers, use the JointCommand topic as documented in the Baxter SDK.

• Optional: Test/tune the velocity controllers or position controllers using a RQT dashboard GUI. Make sure you are in the right joint command mode when using these:

  $ roslaunch baxter_sim_hardware baxter_sdk_position_rqt.launch
  

  or

  $ roslaunch baxter_sim_hardware baxter_sdk_velocity_rqt.launch 
  

Run SDK Examples

• Start Wobbler example:

  $ ./baxter.sh sim
  $ rosrun baxter_examples joint_velocity_wobbler.py
  

• Start keyboard joint position example:

  $ ./baxter.sh sim
  $ rosrun baxter_examples joint_position_keyboard.py
  
  

  For additional information on the interfaces that are implemented with this release, visit the Simulator - API page, and the view the list of [examples] (https://docs.google.com/a/rethinkrobotics.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AuwgVjo4IL7VdHJudVFRQUVqQ1JKS3VKYldYd19heXc&usp=sharing#gid=0) working

Start MoveIt

Works with simulation or hardware:

• Check out the Baxter MoveIt configuration package into your ROS workspace and rebuild:

  $ cd ~/ros_ws/src
  $ git clone https://github.com/ros-planning/moveit_robots.git
  $ source /opt/ros/groovy/setup.bash
  $ cd ..
  $ catkin_make
  $ catkin_make install 
  

• Start Trajectory Controller:

  $ rosrun baxter_interface joint_trajectory_action_server.py
  

• Start MoveIt:

  $ roslaunch baxter_moveit_config demo_baxter.launch