Abrobot - Autonomous Mobile Robot

Abrobot is an autonomous mobile robot developed by Acta Visio for warehouse indoor environments. Abrobot is based on Arlo Robot as mobile platform to perform different tasks in an indoor environments. Abrobot was developed with Robot Operating System (ROS) - see more in ROS Wiki, Arduino Leonardo and Raspberry Pi 3B.

Version	ROS Distro	Operating System
1.0	Kinetic Kame	Ubuntu 16.04 LTS (Xenial)

Install dependencies and follow the installation instructions.

• ROS Kinetic-devel: ROS.
• ROS Navigation Stack: ROS-Planning.
• Rosserial: Package for Arduino - Real Robot.

Steps to create the Abrobot based on ROS and Gazebo Simulator

The first step

To create the Abrobot is based on Package the contains a C++ parser for the Unified Robot Description Format (URDF), which is an XML format for representing a robot model. The code API of the parser has been through our review process and will remain backwards compatible in future releases. (See more in: URDF).

The robot model is based on Arlo Platform with Differential drive.

All components were created in the XML file with joints, collisions, pose, inertia and visual. The script file can be found here: Abrobot description. The files used in the Abrobot simulation are: Robot Xacro and Robot Gazebo. If you need more information about Arlo Description Platform, visit the Arlo Bot.

If you need to add more sensors in your Robot, follow this great tutorial provided by: Gazebo Sensors. Please, do not forget to add the .dae or .stl extension of the sensors.

Steps to clone this repository

1. Create a simple ROS Workspace - if you don't have yet. Following the installation instructions.

mkdir -p ~/abrobot_ws/src && cd ~/abrobot_ws

catkin init

cd ~/abrobot_ws/src/ 

git clone git@github.com:cesarhcq/abrobot.git

git clone git@github.com:Slamtec/rplidar_ros.git

git clone git@github.com:tu-darmstadt-ros-pkg/hector_slam.git

cd ~/abrobot_ws/

catkin_make

2. Start a simple simulation of the GuntherBOT mobile Robot.

cd ~/abrobot_ws/

source devel/setup.bash

roslaunch abrobot_gazebo second.launch

3. Add more objects for Mapping

If you intend to add more objects in the world, you'll need to save as new world file and modify the XML launch file.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<launch>
  <!-- Initial parameters for position in gazebo world -->

  <arg name ="x" default="0"/>
  <arg name ="y" default="0"/>
  <arg name ="z" default="10.5"/>

  <arg name="world" default="empty"/> 
  <arg name="paused" default="false"/>
  <arg name="use_sim_time" default="true"/>
  <arg name="gui" default="true"/>
  <arg name="headless" default="false"/>
  <arg name="debug" default="false"/>
  
  <include file="$(find gazebo_ros)/launch/empty_world.launch">
    <arg name="world_name" value="$(find abrobot_gazebo)/worlds/test4.world"/>
<!--     <arg name="world_name" value="$(find abrobot_gazebo)/worlds/putyourworldsavedhere.world"/> -->
    <arg name="paused" value="$(arg paused)"/>
    <arg name="use_sim_time" value="$(arg use_sim_time)"/>
    <arg name="gui" value="$(arg gui)"/>
    <arg name="headless" value="$(arg headless)"/>
    <arg name="debug" value="$(arg debug)"/>
  </include>

  
  <param name="robot_description" command="$(find xacro)/xacro --inorder '$(find abrobot_description)/urdf/robot2.xacro'"/>

  <node name="abrobot_spawn" pkg="gazebo_ros" type="spawn_model" output="screen"
   args="-urdf -param robot_description -model abrobot -x $(arg x) -y $(arg y) -z $(arg z)" />

  <node name="robot_state_publisher" pkg="robot_state_publisher" type="state_publisher"/>

</launch>

4. Implement ROS driver for several 9-DOF IMUs

mkdir -p ~/catkin_ws/src && cd ~/catkin_ws

catkin init

cd ~/catkin_ws/src/ 

git clone git@github.com:cesarhcq/i2c_imu.git

cd ~/catkin_ws/

catkin_make

Publishes sensor_msgs::IMU messages at 10Hz to /imu/data topic. Specifically populates angular_velocity & linear_acceleration

<!-- Gyro from MPU9250 -->
<include file="$(find i2c_imu)/launch/i2c_imu_auto.launch"/>

MPU9250 - electric schematic

5. TODO

Real GuntherBOT - Integration Raspberry Pi 3, Arduino and ROS

After simulation, you need to do the experiments in real world. It is very important to create a environment with objects and obstacles for mapping and localization (SLAM).

Communication between Arduino and Raspberry Pi 3

Dependencies

• Rosserial: Package for Arduino - Real Robot.

Plug the Arduino USB cable in the Raspberry Pi 3. Now, open the Arduino IDE to verify what's the USB port connected. If you are not installed Arduino IDE in the Raspberry Pi 3, you can follow this instructions.

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install arduino arduino-core

Now, install the ROSSERIAL

sudo apt-get install ros-kinetic-rosserial-arduino

sudo apt-get install ros-kinetic-rosserial

After IDE Arduino installed, you'll need to install the ros_lib library

The link between ROS and Arduino is through the ros_lib library. This library will be used as any other Arduino library. To install the ros_lib library, type the following commands in the Ubuntu terminal:

Test Arduino

1. Open Arduino in terminal

arduino

2. Test libraries of Arduino

cd <sketchbook>/libraries

rosrun rosserial_arduino make_libraries.py .

3. Test node of Arduino in ROS manually

roscore

Open another terminal, and run the command:

cd ~/abrobot_ws/

source devel/setup.bash

rosrun rosserial_python serial_node.py _port:=/dev/ttyACM0 _baud:=57600

rosrun teleop_twist_keyboard teleop_twist_keyboard.py

rosrun base_controller base_controller

4. Run robot teleoperation automatically

roslaunch arduino_controller teleop.launch

5. Test robot with Arduino and Encoder automatically

roslaunch arduino_controller test_encoder.launch

6. Rviz visualization

rosrun rviz rviz -d ~/abrobot_ws/src/abrobot/arduino_controller/rviz/rviz_test_arduino.rviz

Close the Arduino IDE and open again. Go to sketchbook in the Arduino IDE, and you will see the ROS_LIB

Verify the serial_port connected. In our case is:

/dev/ttyACM0

How to run rplidar ros package

Check if you install package rplidar in

• Rplidar ROS: Package for Laser.

Check the authority of rplidar's serial-port:

ls -l /dev |grep ttyUSB

Add the authority of write: (such as /dev/ttyUSB0)

sudo chmod 666 /dev/ttyUSB0

roslaunch rplidar_ros view_rplidar.launch

Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) - ROS Navigation Stack - Real Application

Test hectormapping or gmaping

Check if you install package of hectormapping as dependence

• Hectormapping: Package for SLAM.

cd ~/abrobot_ws 

source devel/setup.bash

roslaunch base_controller gmapping.launch

or

roslaunch base_controller hectormapping.launch

Rviz visualization

rosrun rviz rviz -d ~/abrobot_ws/src/abrobot/base_controller/rviz/rviz_encoder_gyro.rviz

Mapping

1. Navigate around the environment using Teleop Keyboard.

roslaunch arduino_controller teleop.launch

2. Saving the Map

rosrun map_server map_saver -f ~/abrobot_ws/src/abrobot/abrobot_navigation/maps/test_map.yaml

3. Loading the map

roslaunch autonomous_navigation amcl_navigation.launch

4. Rviz visualization

rosrun rviz rviz -d ~/abrobot_ws/src/abrobot/abrobot_navigation/rviz/robot_amcl_navigation.rviz

or

rosrun rviz rviz -d ~/abrobot_ws/src/abrobot/abrobot_navigation/rviz/amcl_real_navigation.rviz

How to run Joystick Ps3 Controller

Install the following dependencies:

• libbluetooth-dev package
• cwiid package

sudo apt-get install libbluetooth-dev

sudo apt-get install libcwiid-dev

sudo apt-get install ros-kinetic-joy ros-kinetic-joy-teleop

1. Start by installing the dependencies and compiling the driver and packages teleop_twist_joy and joystick-drivers. For more information, see the details in the ROS-Wiki-joy-Tutorials and ROS-Wiki-Joystick-Bluetooth

sudo apt-get install ros-kinetic-teleop-twist-joy ros-kinetic-joystick-drivers

rosdep install ps3joy

rosmake ps3joy

2. Connecting to the Joystick Via Bluetooth

Unplug the joystick from the computer and make sure that the USB bluetooth dongle is plugged in. Now, start the program to create the connection between the bluetooth dongle and the joystick:

sudo bash

rosrun ps3joy ps3joy.py

You will see: Waiting for connection. Disconnect your PS3 joystick from USB and press the pairing button.

3. Press the PS button in the middle of the joystick and the connection will be activated.

You will see: Connection is Activated.

4. Confirming Joystick Input

In a new terminal, confirm that the joystick is sending data to your computer. You can test this with jstest:

sudo jstest /dev/input/jsX

5. Now let's make the joystick accessible for the ROS joy node. Start by listing the permissions of the joystick:

ls -l /dev/input/jsX

You will see something similar to:'crw-rw-XX- 1 root dialout 188, 0 2020-08-14 12:04 /dev/input/jsX'

If XX is rw: the js device is configured properly.

If XX is --: the js device is not configured properly and you need to:

sudo chmod a+rw /dev/input/jsX

6. Run the 'teleop_ps3.launch'

roslaunch base_controller teleop_ps3.launch

WiFi connection between Robot and PC

The Abrobot has a WiFi access point ssid: ubiquityrobot.

Assuming that:

• Abrobot (IP: 10.42.0.1)

• PC (IP: 10.42.0.98)

1. In the PC or Laptop, open a terminal and type the following command:

ssh -X ubuntu@10.42.0.1

password:ubuntu

2. In the same terminal of the SSH, type:

export ROS_MASTER_URI=http://10.42.0.1:11311

export ROS_IP=10.42.0.1

Now, you can execute the launch file with roscore information

3. Open a new terminal again in the PC or Laptop and type:

Does not need to use ssh again!

export ROS_MASTER_URI=http://10.42.0.1:11311

export ROS_IP=10.42.0.98

rosrun rviz rviz

If you have problem with master, you can use this command

killall -9 roscore