Following up our previous post about how to control a Robot Arm with ROS, today we are going to learn how to set up a MoveIt package for controlling the arm.

Remember that if you are new to ROS, we recommend you taking the ROS Basics in 5 Days (Python) or ROS Basics in 5 Days (C++) depending on which programming language you prefer.

What we will learn

In short, in this post we will learn the following:

• How to create a basic MoveIt package for your own robot
• Test that package moving and planning with moveit.

Special Thanks to Clarkson University and specially James Carrol and its team for lending us the physical Open Manipulator robot.

Getting the code

We are going to create the MoveIt package which uses some URDF files. In order to get the URDF files, please get the following ROSject: http://www.rosject.io/l/b368f5c/

You can open it by clicking on the Open button or you can download it by clicking on the download button, the ones pointed below by the red and green arrows respectively.

The ROSJect mentioned here basically contains the following git repositories on it:

• https://bitbucket.org/theconstructcore/open_manipulator_tc/src/unification/
• https://bitbucket.org/theconstructcore/openmanipulator_morpheus_chair/src/master/
• https://bitbucket.org/theconstructcore/openmanipulator_morpheus_chair_notebooks/src/master/

Open the Notebook

When you open a ROSject, by default you have the Jupyter Notebook automatically open, but if that doesn’t happen, you can manually open it by clicking on Tools -> Jupyter Notebook as shown in the image below:

Now on the Jupyter Notebook window let’s click openmanipulator_morpheus_chair_notebooks, then click on Ep3_MoveIt!_First_Steps.ipynb to open it. That notebook contains the instructions we are going to follow in this post.

The URDF file we are going to use

If you opened or downloaded the ROSject you will see that we have a package called open_manipulator_support_description with the .xacro file called open_manipulator_support.urdf.xacro. If you opened the ROSject on n ROSDS (ROS Development Studio), the full path to that file is: ~/simulation_ws/src/open_manipulator_tc/open_manipulator_support_description/urdf

The content of open_manipulator_support.urdf.xacro is:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!-- Open_Manipulator Chain -->
<robot name="open_manipulator" xmlns:xacro="http://www.ros.org/wiki/xacro">

<!-- Import all Gazebo-customization elements, including Gazebo colors -->
  <xacro:include filename="$(find open_manipulator_support_description)/urdf/open_manipulator.gazebo.xacro"/>
<!-- Import Rviz colors -->
  <xacro:include filename="$(find open_manipulator_support_description)/urdf/materials.xacro" />
<!-- Import inertial Properties-->
  <xacro:include filename="$(find open_manipulator_support_description)/urdf/inertial_properties.xacro" />
<!-- Import inertial Properties-->
  <xacro:include filename="$(find open_manipulator_support_description)/urdf/mass_properties.xacro" />

 <!-- World -->
   <link name="world">
   </link>

<!-- World fixed joint -->
   <joint name="world_fixed" type="fixed">
     <parent link="world"/>
     <child link="base_link"/>
   </joint>

<!-- Base Link -->
  <link name="base_link">
	 <inertial>
      <mass value="${bl_mass}" />
      <origin xyz="${bl_cmx} ${bl_cmy} ${bl_cmz}"/>
      <inertia
        ixx="${bl_ixx}"
        ixy="${bl_ixy}"
        ixz="${bl_ixz}"
        iyy="${bl_iyy}"
        iyz="${bl_iyz}"
        izz="${bl_izz}" />
    </inertial>
	<visual>
		<geometry>
        	<mesh filename="package://open_manipulator_support_description/meshes/base_link.STL"/>
		</geometry>
		<material name="grey"/>
	</visual>
	<collision>
      <geometry>
        <mesh filename="package://open_manipulator_support_description/meshes/base_link.STL" />
      </geometry>
    </collision>
  </link>


<!-- Link 1 -->
  <link name="link1">
    <visual>
      <geometry>
        <mesh filename="package://open_manipulator_support_description/meshes/link1.STL"/>
      </geometry>
      <material name="grey"/>
    </visual>

    <collision>
      <geometry>
        <mesh filename="package://open_manipulator_support_description/meshes/link1.STL"/>
      </geometry>
    </collision>

	<inertial>
      <mass value="${l1_mass}" />
      <origin xyz="${l1_cmx} ${l1_cmy} ${l1_cmz}"/>
      <inertia
        ixx="${l1_ixx}"
        ixy="${l1_ixy}"
        ixz="${l1_ixz}"
        iyy="${l1_iyy}"
        iyz="${l1_iyz}"
        izz="${l1_izz}" />
    </inertial>
  </link>

<!-- Joint 1 -->
  <joint name="id_1" type="revolute">
    <parent link="base_link"/>
    <child link="link1"/>
    <origin xyz="0 0 0.0405"/>
    <axis xyz="0 0 1"/>
    <limit velocity="2.8" effort="3.1" lower="${-1.1*pi}" upper="${0.9*pi}" />
  </joint>

<!-- Transmission 1 -->
  <transmission name="tran1">
    <type>transmission_interface/SimpleTransmission</type>
    <joint name="id_1">
      <hardwareInterface>hardware_interface/EffortJointInterface</hardwareInterface>
    </joint>
    <actuator name="motor1">
      <hardwareInterface>hardware_interface/EffortJointInterface</hardwareInterface>
      <mechanicalReduction>1</mechanicalReduction>
    </actuator>
  </transmission>

<!--  Link 2-->
  <link name="link2">

	<visual>
      <geometry>
        <mesh filename="package://open_manipulator_support_description/meshes/link2.STL"/>
      </geometry>
      <material name="grey"/>
    </visual>

    <collision>
      <geometry>
        <mesh filename="package://open_manipulator_support_description/meshes/link2.STL"/>
      </geometry>
    </collision>

    <inertial>
      <mass value="${l2_mass}" />
      <origin xyz="${l2_cmx} ${l2_cmy} ${l2_cmz}"/>
      <inertia
        ixx="${l2_ixx}"
        ixy="${l2_ixy}"
        ixz="${l2_ixz}"
        iyy="${l2_iyy}"
        iyz="${l2_iyz}"
        izz="${l2_izz}" />
    </inertial>
  </link>

<!--  Joint 2 -->
  <joint name="id_2" type="revolute">
    <parent link="link1"/>
    <child link="link2"/>
    <origin xyz="0 0 0.056"/>
    <axis xyz="1 0 0"/>
    <limit velocity="2.9" effort="9.9" lower="-2.0" upper="2.0" />
  </joint>

<!-- Transmission 2 -->
  <transmission name="tran2">
    <type>transmission_interface/SimpleTransmission</type>
    <joint name="id_2">
      <hardwareInterface>hardware_interface/EffortJointInterface</hardwareInterface>
    </joint>
    <actuator name="motor2">
      <hardwareInterface>hardware_interface/EffortJointInterface</hardwareInterface>
      <mechanicalReduction>1</mechanicalReduction>
    </actuator>
  </transmission>

<!--  Link 3 -->
  <link name="link3">
    <visual>
      <geometry>
        <mesh filename="package://open_manipulator_support_description/meshes/link3.STL"/>
      </geometry>
      <material name="grey"/>
    </visual>
    <collision>
      <geometry>
        <mesh filename="package://open_manipulator_support_description/meshes/link3.STL"/>
      </geometry>
    </collision>

    <inertial>
      <mass value="${l3_mass}" />
      <origin xyz="${l3_cmx} ${l3_cmy} ${l3_cmz}"/>
      <inertia
        ixx="${l3_ixx}"
        ixy="${l3_ixy}"
        ixz="${l3_ixz}"
        iyy="${l3_iyy}"
        iyz="${l3_iyz}"
        izz="${l3_izz}" />
    </inertial>
  </link>

<!--  Joint 3 -->
  <joint name="id_3" type="revolute">
    <parent link="link2"/>
    <child link="link3"/>
    <origin xyz="0 0 .1935" />
    <axis xyz="1 0 0"/>
    <limit velocity="2.9" effort="9.9" lower="-2.5" upper="2.5" />
  </joint>

<!-- Transmission 3 -->
  <transmission name="tran3">
    <type>transmission_interface/SimpleTransmission</type>
    <joint name="id_3">
      <hardwareInterface>hardware_interface/EffortJointInterface</hardwareInterface>
    </joint>
    <actuator name="motor3">
      <hardwareInterface>hardware_interface/EffortJointInterface</hardwareInterface>
      <mechanicalReduction>1</mechanicalReduction>
    </actuator>
  </transmission>

<!--  Link 4 -->
  <link name="link4">
    <visual>
      <geometry>
        <mesh filename="package://open_manipulator_support_description/meshes/link4.STL"/>
      </geometry>
      <material name="grey"/>
    </visual>

    <collision>
      <geometry>
        <mesh filename="package://open_manipulator_support_description/meshes/link4.STL"/>
      </geometry>
    </collision>

    <inertial>
      <mass value="${l4_mass}" />
      <origin xyz="${l4_cmx} ${l4_cmy} ${l4_cmz}"/>
      <inertia
        ixx="${l4_ixx}"
        ixy="${l4_ixy}"
        ixz="${l4_ixz}"
        iyy="${l4_iyy}"
        iyz="${l4_iyz}"
        izz="${l4_izz}" />
    </inertial>

  </link>

<!--  Joint 4-->
  <joint name="id_4" type="revolute">
    <parent link="link3"/>
    <child link="link4"/>
    <origin xyz="0 0 0.201"/>
    <axis xyz="0 0 1"/>
    <limit velocity="2.8" effort="3.1" lower="${-pi}" upper="${pi}" />
  </joint>

<!-- Transmission 4 -->
  <transmission name="tran4">
    <type>transmission_interface/SimpleTransmission</type>
    <joint name="id_4">
      <hardwareInterface>hardware_interface/EffortJointInterface</hardwareInterface>
    </joint>
    <actuator name="motor4">
      <hardwareInterface>hardware_interface/EffortJointInterface</hardwareInterface>
      <mechanicalReduction>1</mechanicalReduction>
    </actuator>
  </transmission>

<!--  Link 5 -->
  <link name="link5">
    <visual>
      <geometry>
        <mesh filename="package://open_manipulator_support_description/meshes/link5.STL"/>
      </geometry>
      <material name="grey"/>
    </visual>

    <collision>
      <geometry>
        <mesh filename="package://open_manipulator_support_description/meshes/link5.STL"/>
      </geometry>
    </collision>

    <inertial>
      <mass value="${l5_mass}" />
      <origin xyz="${l5_cmx} ${l5_cmy} ${l5_cmz}"/>
      <inertia
        ixx="${l5_ixx}"
        ixy="${l5_ixy}"
        ixz="${l5_ixz}"
        iyy="${l5_iyy}"
        iyz="${l5_iyz}"
        izz="${l5_izz}" />
    </inertial>
  </link>

<!--  Joint 5-->
  <joint name="id_5" type="revolute">
    <parent link="link4"/>
    <child link="link5"/>
    <origin xyz="0 0 0.0405"/>
    <axis xyz="1 0 0"/>
    <limit velocity="2.8" effort="3.1" lower="${-pi/2}" upper="2.2" />
  </joint>

<!-- Transmission 5 -->
  <transmission name="tran5">
    <type>transmission_interface/SimpleTransmission</type>
    <joint name="id_5">
      <hardwareInterface>hardware_interface/EffortJointInterface</hardwareInterface>
    </joint>
    <actuator name="motor5">
      <hardwareInterface>hardware_interface/EffortJointInterface</hardwareInterface>
      <mechanicalReduction>1</mechanicalReduction>
    </actuator>
  </transmission>


<!--  Link 6 -->
  <link name="link6">
    <inertial>
      <mass value="${l6_mass}" />
      <origin xyz="${l6_cmx} ${l6_cmy} ${l6_cmz}"/>
      <inertia
        ixx="${l6_ixx}"
        ixy="${l6_ixy}"
        ixz="${l6_ixz}"
        iyy="${l6_iyy}"
        iyz="${l6_iyz}"
        izz="${l6_izz}" />
    </inertial>
    <visual>
      <geometry>
        <mesh filename="package://open_manipulator_support_description/meshes/link6.STL" />
      </geometry>
      <material name="grey" />
    </visual>
    <collision>
      <geometry>
        <mesh filename="package://open_manipulator_support_description/meshes/link6.STL" />
      </geometry>
    </collision>
  </link>

<!--  Joint 6 -->
  <joint name="id_6" type="revolute">
    <origin xyz="0 0 0.064"/>
    <parent link="link5" />
    <child link="link6" />
    <axis xyz="0 0 1" />
	<limit velocity="2.8" effort="3.1" lower="${-pi}" upper="${pi}" />
  </joint>

<!-- Transmission 6 -->
  <transmission name="tran6">
    <type>transmission_interface/SimpleTransmission</type>
    <joint name="id_6">
      <hardwareInterface>hardware_interface/EffortJointInterface</hardwareInterface>
    </joint>
    <actuator name="motor6">
      <hardwareInterface>hardware_interface/EffortJointInterface</hardwareInterface>
      <mechanicalReduction>1</mechanicalReduction>
    </actuator>
  </transmission>

<!-- Link 7-->
   <link name="link7">
    <inertial>
      <mass value="${l7_mass}" />
      <origin xyz="${l7_cmx} ${l7_cmy} ${l7_cmz}"/>
      <inertia
        ixx="${l7_ixx}"
        ixy="${l7_ixy}"
        ixz="${l7_ixz}"
        iyy="${l7_iyy}"
        iyz="${l7_iyz}"
        izz="${l7_izz}" />
    </inertial>
    <visual>
      <geometry>
        <mesh
          filename="package://open_manipulator_support_description/meshes/link7.STL" />
      </geometry>
      <material name="grey" />
    </visual>
    <collision>
      <geometry>
        <mesh
          filename="package://open_manipulator_support_description/meshes/link7.STL" />
      </geometry>
    </collision>
  </link>

<!-- Joint 7 -->
	<joint
    name="id_7"
    type="revolute">
    <origin xyz="0 0 0.039" />
    <parent link="link6" />
    <child link="link7" />
    <axis xyz="0 0 1" />
    <!--
    <limit velocity="2.8" effort="3.1" lower="${-pi}" upper="${pi}" />
    -->
    <limit velocity="2.8" effort="3.1" lower="${-pi}" upper="-1.5" />
  </joint>

  <!-- Transmission 7 -->
  <transmission name="tran7">
    <type>transmission_interface/SimpleTransmission</type>
    <joint name="id_7">
      <hardwareInterface>hardware_interface/EffortJointInterface</hardwareInterface>
    </joint>
    <actuator name="motor7">
      <hardwareInterface>hardware_interface/EffortJointInterface</hardwareInterface>
      <mechanicalReduction>1</mechanicalReduction>
    </actuator>
  </transmission>

  <!--  Gripper Left-->

<link name="gripper_l">
    <inertial>
      <mass value="${g_mass}" />
      <origin xyz="${g_cmx} ${g_cmy} ${g_cmz}"/>
      <inertia
        ixx="${g_ixx}"
        ixy="${g_ixy}"
        ixz="${g_ixz}"
        iyy="${g_iyy}"
        iyz="${g_iyz}"
        izz="${g_izz}" />
    </inertial>

    <visual>
      <geometry>
        <mesh
          filename="package://open_manipulator_support_description/meshes/gripper.STL" />
      </geometry>
      <material name="grey" />
    </visual>

   <collision>
      <geometry>
        <mesh
          filename="package://open_manipulator_support_description/meshes/gripper.STL" />
      </geometry>
    </collision>
  </link>

<!--Gripper Left Joint -->
  <joint name="joint8" type="prismatic">
    <origin xyz="-0.015 0 0.0595" rpy="0 0 ${pi}"/>
    <parent link="link6" />
    <child link="gripper_l" />
    <axis xyz="1 0 0" />
    <limit velocity="0.1" effort=".1" lower="-.033" upper="0"/>
    <mimic joint="id_7" multiplier="-0.01" offset="-0.0110133334" />
  </joint>


<!--  Gripper Right -->
   <link name="gripper_r">
    <inertial>
      <mass value="${g_mass}" />
      <origin xyz="${-g_cmx} ${g_cmy} ${g_cmz}"/>
      <inertia
        ixx="${g_ixx}"
        ixy="${g_ixy}"
        ixz="${g_ixz}"
        iyy="${g_iyy}"
        iyz="${g_iyz}"
        izz="${g_izz}" />
    </inertial>
        <visual>
      <geometry>
        <mesh filename="package://open_manipulator_support_description/meshes/gripper.STL" />
      </geometry>
      <material name="grey" />
    </visual>

    <collision>
      <geometry>
        <mesh filename="package://open_manipulator_support_description/meshes/gripper.STL" />
      </geometry>
    </collision>
  </link>

<!--Gripper Right Joint -->
   <joint name="joint9" type="prismatic">
    <origin xyz="0.015 0 0.0595" />
    <parent link="link6" />
    <child link="gripper_r" />
    <axis xyz="1 0 0" />
        <limit velocity="0.1" effort=".1" lower="0" upper=".033"/>
    <mimic joint="joint8" multiplier="1" offset="0" />
  </joint>

</robot>

Opening the MoveIt Setup Assistant

Now that we know which urdf/xacro file we are going to use, let’s create a MoveIt package. On the ROSject that we are using that package is already created for you and it’s available on the path /home/user/catkin_ws/src/openmanipulator_ep2_movit_config, but we are going to show how we created it.

In order to open the MoveIt Assistant, the program used to create our first MoveIt Package, we used the following commands:

cd ~/catkin_ws/src
roslaunch moveit_setup_assistant setup_assistant.launch

MoveIt Assistant is a graphical application, so, after running the command aforementioned, on ROSDS you have to open the Graphical Tools by clicking Tools -> Graphical Tools as shown below:

After clicking on that button we should see MoveIt Setup Assistant as in the image below:

If you want the Graphical Tools to be opened in a different tab of the web browser, you can simply click on the Detach button as shown below:

Creating the MoveIt package from scratch

With the MoveIt Assistant open, let’s click on the Create New MoveIt Configuration Package button as shown in the image below:

Now we need to select our URDF file. For that, let’s click on the Browse button under the section Load a URDF or Collada Robot Model and select our URDF file mentioned earlier, which is on the path:

~/simulation_ws/src/open_manipulator_tc/open_manipulator_support_description/urdf/open_manipulator_support.urdf.xacro

then let’s click Load Files as in the image below.

Now you should have the URDF loaded. Make sure you can see it properly as in the right side of the image below:

After clicking Generate Collision Matrix we have the matrix generated as in the image below.

The links are listed in a Linear View. Let’s select the Matrix View because that view allows a better understanding.

The green parts of the image above means “Never Collide”.

Note that because the Collision Matrix is random, it could be that every time you generate a new matrix, the matrix appears a bit different:

In our case we select:

• Name: virtual_joint ( just to know its a virtual joint )
• Parent: world
• Child: the base_link, that we want to connect to world.
• Joint Type: Fixed, because we won’t move.

Now we add the gripper through joints also:

• joint8
• joint9
• id_6

We added four poses:

• Two for the OpenManipulator_ARM group
• Two for the Gripper group.

cd ~/catkin_ws

source devel/setup.bash;rospack profile

roslaunch open_manipulator_morpheuschair_movit_config demo.launch rviz_tutorial:=true

So, that is the post for today. We hope you guys enjoyed it. Remember that we also have a video showing everything that is in this post. Please have a look at the video if you didn’t understand some of the things that were explained here. If you liked the content, please subscribe to our channel and leave your comments on the comments section of the video, which is available at:

List of materials

• How to connect to RealRobot with ROSDS
• ROSject
• Gits:
  • https://bitbucket.org/theconstructcore/open_manipulator_tc/src/unification/
  • https://bitbucket.org/theconstructcore/openmanipulator_morpheus_chair/src/master/
  • https://bitbucket.org/theconstructcore/openmanipulator_morpheus_chair_notebooks/src/master/

Edited by Miguel Angel and Ruben Alves.