[ROS2 Q&A] Learn how to create map for Robot Fleet Management Open-RMF #238

[ROS2 Q&A] Learn how to create map for Robot Fleet Management Open-RMF #238

What we are going to learn

  1. How to use RMF already installed in a rosject
  2. How to use a map created by SLAM as a base for RMF

List of resources used in this post

  1. Use the rosject: https://app.theconstructsim.com/l/51e404da/
  2. The Construct: https://app.theconstructsim.com/
  3. Open-RMF: https://www.open-rmf.org/
  4. Open-RMF Demos: https://github.com/open-rmf/rmf_demos
  5. ROS2 Courses –▸
    1. ROS2 Basics in 5 Days Humble (Python): https://app.theconstructsim.com/Course/132
    2. ROS2 Basics in 5 Days Humble (C++): https://app.theconstructsim.com/Course/133
    3. Open-RMF / Fleet Management Training: https://www.theconstruct.ai/robot-fleet-management-ros2-open-rmf-training/

Overview

Open-RMF stands for Open Robotics Middleware Framework, and it is a Common Language for Robot Interoperability.

It is a modular software system that enables sharing and interoperability between multiple fleets of robots and physical infrastructure, like doors, elevators, and building management systems.

This post is an introduction to the map you will need in order to use Open-RMF.

ROS Inside!

ROS Inside

ROS Inside

Before anything else, if you want to use the logo above on your own robot or computer, feel free to download it and attach it to your robot. It is really free. Find it in the link below:

ROS Inside logo

Opening the rosject

In order to follow this tutorial, we need to have ROS2 and Open-RMF installed in our system, and ideally a ros2_ws (ROS2 Workspace). To make your life easier, we have already prepared a rosject with a simulation for that: https://app.theconstructsim.com/l/51e404da/.

You can download the rosject on your own computer if you want to work locally, but just by copying the rosject (clicking the link), you will have a setup already prepared for you.

After the rosject has been successfully copied to your own area, you should see a Run button. Just click that button to launch the rosject (below you have a rosject example).

Learn ROS2 Parameters - Run rosject

How to create a map for Robot Fleet Management Open-RMF – Run rosject (example of the RUN button)

After pressing the Run button, you should have the rosject loaded. Now, let’s head to the next section to get some real practice.

Why do we need a map, after all?

When we use Open-RMF, we want to control a fleet of robots, and since robots move around, we need a way to go through the building, and for that, we need a map.

If we check the rmf_demos repository, it shows an image of a blueprint of a building,

Open-RMF hotel world by Open-Robotics

Open-RMF hotel world by Open-Robotics

 

In order to move the robot around, Open-RMF has a pipeline that goes as follows:

  1. We start with the blueprint of a building
  2. Use the Traffic Editor to paint the walls and the paths that the robot can follow in the building. The robots have autonomous navigation but we still limit the robots to certain areas. If we check the image above, we see two paths, a blue and an orange one. This means that there are two fleets of robots operating in this area. Each fleet can move in one of these paths.
  3.  We start from the blueprint and create a simulation from that blueprint

But we found that most of the time we already have a simulation of a building, for example, and we want to make Open-RMF adapt to our simulation, instead of making our simulation adapt to Open-RMF.

That is what is this post about: How to make your own map to be used by Open-RMF.

Starting the simulation

After having opened the rosject, let’s start a simulation. For that, let’s open a terminal by clicking the Open a new terminal button.

Open a new Terminal

Open a new Terminal

Once inside the terminal, let’s run the commands below:

cd ~/ros2_ws
ros2 launch barista_gazebo  start_world_standalone.launch.py

 

After a few seconds, we should have a simulation open, like in the image below (if for any reason you think the simulation is empty, just zoom out using the mouse to find the simulation):

Starbots Coffee simulation for Open-RMF on The Construct

Starbots Coffee simulation for Open-RMF on The Construct

 

Now that you see the simulation, we basically want to make a map of that building that appears in the simulation.

Normally, everyone who has a Gazebo simulation already has a map of that area to make the robot move around. In this case, the cartographer_slam package has been used to create a map of the environment.

The image below is what we are talking about when we say we already have a  map of the environment:

Starbots Coffee Cartographer Map for Open-RMF

Starbots Coffee Cartographer Map for Open-RMF

 

If you want to see that image of the map, it is available in the following path in the rosject:

  • ~/ros2_ws/src/starbots_rmf/maps/starbots_sim.png

In order to download that file, you can just use the IDE (Code Editor) for that. If you don’t know how to open it, please check the image below:

Open the IDE - Code Editor

Open the IDE – Code EditorAfter opening the Code Editor, just right-click on ~/ros2_ws/src/starbots_rmf/maps/starbots_sim.png, and then click Download.

Bear in mind that the Cartographer Slam package generates PGM files. We used a tool to convert the PGM files to PNG (image format).

Starting the Traffic Editor

Now that the basic introductions have been made, let’s start with the Traffic Editor. For that, you can open a second terminal and type the following command:

traffic-editor

After a few seconds, you should have it open (a new window should pop up).

To create a new map, just click Buidling -> New.

How to create a map for Robot Fleet Management Open-RMF -Building New

How to create a map for Robot Fleet Management Open-RMF -Building New

 

To make things simpler, you can save the map in the same location as the existing maps:

  •  /home/user/ros2_ws/src/starbots_rmf/maps/

You can name the map “test” and click the save button.

Traffic Editor – Creating a new level

Now that we have a blank map of the building in the Traffic Editor, let’s create a new level. Let’s name it L1 (level 1) and let’s select the /home/user/ros2_ws/src/starbots_rmf/maps/starbots_sim.png map that we mentioned earlier. For that, let’s click the Add button, then click Find to select the map, as we can see in the image below:

Open-RMF Traffic Editor - Adding a new level

Open-RMF Traffic Editor – Adding a new level

 

Traffic Editor – Creating a new lane

After the new level has been created, we can now create a new lane that specifies the paths that the robot can move. The robot will be able to move only in those areas. For that, click New Lane, and by clicking in different areas of the map, draw a lane where the robot can move:

Open-RMF Traffic Editor - Adding a new lane

Open-RMF Traffic Editor – Adding a new lane

 

Traffic Editor – Naming the spots

After drawing the lane in the previous image, you see that we have some small circles that form the intersections, and we have them also at the beginning and at the end of the lane we draw.

When we click on any of these spots, we see some properties on the right side. Please click in each circle spot and name them, like start, end, kitchen, etc by entering the name in the name input.

By selecting the green lines, you can also define if the movement is bidirectional or not, for example.

You can have as many lanes as you want, but you have to make sure they are somehow connected if you want the robot to move the whole area.

Now, to make sure your changes will not be lost, just click Building -> Save.

After hitting Save, you should see all the information related to the map at:

  •  /home/user/ros2_ws/src/starbots_rmf/maps/test.building.yaml

Traffic Editor – Compile the workspace

Now that we created our new map, we need to recompile our workspace to make sure Open-RMF will be able to work with it.

For that, we just run the following commands in a third terminal:

cd ~/ros2_ws

then,

colcon build  --cmake-args -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release

We expect everything to finish successfully. Among other output messages, the following message is expected:

# ...
Generating Lane Graphs in  Generating Lane Graphs in  /home/user/ros2_ws/build/starbots_rmf/maps/test/nav_graphs/
# ...

 

The thing that most interests us here is the following path:

/home/user/ros2_ws/build/starbots_rmf/maps/test/

If we check the content of that directory, we will find a test.world file (because our Building was called test).

ls /home/user/ros2_ws/build/starbots_rmf/maps/test/

ls  /home/user/ros2_ws/build/starbots_rmf/maps/test/nav_graphs/

 

If we check /home/user/ros2_ws/build/starbots_rmf/maps/test/nav_graphs/, we will find a file named 0.yaml, which is the main element we need to get started with Open-RMF map.

Changing the launch file to open our newly generated map

Using the code editor, please open the following file:

  • /home/user/ros2_ws/src/starbots_rmf/launch/rmf_schedule.launch.xml

Then, change the map_name variable on line 12 to set the value “test”. In the end, the file should look like this:

<?xml version='1.0' ?>

<launch>
  <arg name="failover_mode" default="false"/>
  <!-- set to false if using real robots -->
  <arg name="use_sim_time" default="false"/> 

  <!-- Common launch -->
  <include file="$(find-pkg-share starbots_rmf)/launch/barista_rmf_schedule.launch.xml">
    <arg name="use_sim_time" value="$(var use_sim_time)"/>
    <arg name="failover_mode" value="$(var failover_mode)"/>
    <arg name="map_name" value="test" />
  </include>

</launch>

 

Now let’s create an RViz config file named test.rviz:

cd ~/ros2_ws/src
cp ./starbots_rmf/rviz_config/starbots.rviz ./starbots_rmf/rviz_config/test.rviz

 

Now we can compile the workspace again to have the updates of the XML reflected:

cd ~/ros2_ws
colcon build  --cmake-args -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
source install/setup.bash

 

now we can launch the simulation again in the first terminal (Please remember to terminate the simulation that was launched previously in the first terminal):

ros2 launch starbots_rmf rmf_schedule.launch.xml

 

If everything worked perfectly, you should now see an RViz window with the map ready for Open-RMF to use it. If we had setup our robots correctly, they should appear on top of the map:

How to create map for Robot Fleet Management Open-RMF generated map on RViz

How to create map for Robot Fleet Management Open-RMF generated map on RViz

 

Congratulations. You just learned how to create a map to be used by Open-RMF.

We hope this post was really helpful to you. If you want a live version of this post with more details, please check the video in the next section.

Youtube video

So this is the post for today. Remember that we have the live version of this post on YouTube. If you liked the content, please consider subscribing to our youtube channel. We are publishing new content ~every day.

Keep pushing your ROS Learning.

Related Courses & Training

If you want to learn more about ROS and ROS2, we recommend the following courses:


Learn how to enable live parameter updates in ROS 2 (C++)

Learn how to enable live parameter updates in ROS 2 (C++)

What we are going to learn

  1. The limitations of having a minimal ROS2 parameter implementation
  2. How to add a parameter callback method

List of resources used in this post

  1. Use the rosject: https://app.theconstructsim.com/l/53e75e28/ 
  2. The Construct: https://app.theconstructsim.com/
  3. Original ROS2 Documentation: Monitoring for parameter changes (C++)
  4. ROS2 Courses –▸
    1. ROS2 Basics in 5 Days Humble (Python): https://app.theconstructsim.com/Course/132
    2. ROS2 Basics in 5 Days Humble (C++): https://app.theconstructsim.com/Course/133

Overview

ROS2 parameters are great for configurable nodes that you can adapt to your robot configuration simply by changing a configuration file or a launch file. However, if we just implemented the basics you will have to re-run your node each time you change a parameter. You can’t change the parameter on-the-fly and have it updated in the robot. But by adding a callback function that updates the variables in our code, it is possible to do a live parameter update while a program is running, removing the need for a tedious node restart. Learn how to do it in this post.

ROS Inside!

ROS Inside

ROS Inside

Before anything else, if you want to use the logo above on your own robot or computer, feel free to download it and attach it to your robot. It is really free. Find it in the link below:

ROS Inside logo

Opening the rosject

In order to follow this tutorial, we need to have ROS2 installed in our system, and ideally a ros2_ws (ROS2 Workspace). To make your life easier, we have already prepared a rosject with a simulation for that: https://app.theconstructsim.com/l/53e75e28/.

You can download the rosject on your own computer if you want to work locally, but just by copying the rosject (clicking the link), you will have a setup already prepared for you.

After the rosject has been successfully copied to your own area, you should see a Run button. Just click that button to launch the rosject (below you have a rosject example).

Learn ROS2 Parameters - Run rosject

Learn how to enable live parameter updates (C++) – Run rosject (example of the RUN button)

After pressing the Run button, you should have the rosject loaded. Now, let’s head to the next section to get some real practice.

Starting the simulation

After having opened the rosject, let’s start a simulation. For that, let’s open a terminal by clicking the Open a new terminal button.

Open a new Terminal

Open a new Terminal

Once inside the terminal, let’s run the commands below:

cd ~/ros2_ws
colcon build --packages-select rule_based_obstacle_avoidance

 

Now that our workspace is built. let’s source it so that ROS can find our packages:

source install/setup.bash

 

After the workspace has been sourced, we can launch our simulation:

ros2 launch rule_based_obstacle_avoidance simulation.launch.py

If everything went well, you should have a simulation loaded and opened automatically in a few seconds. The simulation will open from a top view, but you can use the mouse to move the simulation to a different perspective.

 How to enable live parameter updates (C++)

How to enable live parameter updates (C++)

 

Understanding the problem

Below is an example node in which we have only implemented the barebone basics of parameters in ROS2.

Let’s see it in action and see how it behaves, especially when we update its parameter values.

In a second terminal, let’s run the node for Obstacle Avoidance.

source ~/ros2_ws/install/setup.bash

ros2 run rule_based_obstacle_avoidance obstacle_avoidance

If you watch the simulation for a while, you will see that when the robot detects the wall, it rotates and moves forward until it detects another wall, and repeats the process.

The node name is obstacle_avoidance_node (you can check it in a third terminal by running: ros2 node list)

Now, let’s list the parameters of the node in a third terminal:

ros2 param list /obstacle_avoidance_node

We should see the following output:

  angular_z_velocity
  linear_x_velocity
  qos_overrides./parameter_events.publisher.depth
  qos_overrides./parameter_events.publisher.durability
  qos_overrides./parameter_events.publisher.history
  qos_overrides./parameter_events.publisher.reliability
  safety_distance
  use_sim_time

 

Now, still in the third terminal, let’s check the value of the safety_distance parameter:

ros2 param get /obstacle_avoidance_node safety_distance

The output we should have got should be the following:

Double value is: 1.5

 

Now, let’s set the parameter to a new value:

ros2 param set /obstacle_avoidance_node safety_distance 1.0

The expected output is:

Set parameter successful

 

Ok, so far so good. But with the new value, we expect the robot to get closer to the wall before turning around because now the safe distance was set from 1.5 meters to 1.0. The problem is that the robot is not considering the new value that we just set.

We can follow the same idea to try to make the robot move faster. Let’s check the current velocity of the robot:

ros2 param get /obstacle_avoidance_node linear_x_velocity

The output we should have got should be the following:

Double value is: 0.2

 

If we increase the speed:

ros2 param set /obstacle_avoidance_node linear_x_velocity 0.5

The expected output is:

Set parameter successful

The parameter was reported as successfully set, yet the robot does not move faster, because it still uses the value loaded when the node started.

In the current code, parameter values are fixed. As such, every time a parameter value changes, the parameter value in the code stays the same even though you may have expected it to update based on the latest value set.

In order to solve this, we must add a parameter callback function to your code so that the variable in the code gets the freshest data.

Before moving to the next section, please kill the simulation and all nodes running by pressing Ctrl+C on all terminals.

 

Solution: Add a parameter callback method

Alright, have you closed all programs by pressing CTRL+C on all terminals?

If so, let’s move forward, then.

We need to modify the following file:

  • ros2_ws/src/rule_based_obstacle_avoidance/src/obstacle_avoidance.cpp

Let’s open that file using the IDE (Code Editor):

Open the IDE - Code Editor

Open the IDE – Code Editor

 

Once the Code Editor is open, you should be able to see the ros2_ws folder (ROS2 workspace) and navigate to the file we mentioned above:

  • ros2_ws/src/rule_based_obstacle_avoidance/src/obstacle_avoidance.cpp

If you check around line 45 on that file, you will find the “private:” section, where we define the private variables of our class, something like the following:

private:
  rclcpp::TimerBase::SharedPtr timer_;

  double linear_x_velocity_;
  double angular_z_velocity_;
  
   // ...

 

Let’s modify that part, in order to add two variables below right after the definition of “timer_”, so that our code looks like:

private:
  rclcpp::TimerBase::SharedPtr timer_;

  std::shared_ptr<rclcpp::ParameterEventHandler> param_subscriber_;
  std::shared_ptr<rclcpp::ParameterCallbackHandle> cb_handle_; 

  double linear_x_velocity_;
  double angular_z_velocity_;
  
   // ...

 

Now, above that “private:” section, around line 38, let’s add the following code to instantiate a ParameterEventHandler, providing the current ROS node to use to create the required subscriptions:

param_subscriber_ = std::make_shared<rclcpp::ParameterEventHandler>(this);

Below the param_subscriber_ we have to set a callback method, in this case, a lambda function:

// Set a callback for this node's parameter, "linear_x_velocity"
    auto callback_linear_x = [this](const rclcpp::Parameter &p) {
      RCLCPP_INFO(this->get_logger(),
                  "callback_linear_x: Received an update to parameter \"%s\" "
                  "of type %s: \"%f\"",
                  p.get_name().c_str(), p.get_type_name().c_str(),
                  p.as_double());
      linear_x_velocity_ = p.as_double();
    };

 

Then we set “callback_linear_x” as the callback to invoke whenever linear_x_velocity is updated. We store the handle that is returned by “add_parameter_callback“; otherwise, the callback will not be properly registered.

cb_handle_ = param_subscriber_->add_parameter_callback("linear_x_velocity", callback_linear_x);

 

After those changes, the “public:” section of our class should look like this:

class ObstacleAvoidance : public rclcpp::Node {
public:
  ObstacleAvoidance() : Node("obstacle_avoidance_node") {

   auto default_qos = rclcpp::QoS(rclcpp::SystemDefaultsQoS());
    subscription_ = this->create_subscription<sensor_msgs::msg::LaserScan>(
        "scan", default_qos,
        std::bind(&ObstacleAvoidance::topic_callback, this, _1));
    vel_msg_publisher_ =
        this->create_publisher<geometry_msgs::msg::Twist>("cmd_vel", 10);

    // declare parameters and set default values
    this->declare_parameter("linear_x_velocity", 0.2);
    this->declare_parameter("angular_z_velocity", 0.2);
    this->declare_parameter("safety_distance", 1.5);
    // get parameters values
    this->get_parameter("linear_x_velocity", linear_x_velocity_);
    this->get_parameter("angular_z_velocity", angular_z_velocity_);
    this->get_parameter("safety_distance", d);

   param_subscriber_ = std::make_shared<rclcpp::ParameterEventHandler>(this);

    // Set a callback for this node's parameter, "linear_x_velocity"
    auto callback_linear_x = [this](const rclcpp::Parameter &p) {
      RCLCPP_INFO(this->get_logger(),
                  "callback_linear_x: Received an update to parameter \"%s\" "
                  "of type %s: \"%f\"",
                  p.get_name().c_str(), p.get_type_name().c_str(),
                  p.as_double());
      linear_x_velocity_ = p.as_double();
    };

    cb_handle_ = param_subscriber_->add_parameter_callback("linear_x_velocity",

    RCLCPP_INFO(this->get_logger(), "Obstacle avoidance running");

    timer_ = this->create_wall_timer(
        1000ms, std::bind(&ObstacleAvoidance::timerCallback, this));
  }

  ~ObstacleAvoidance() {}

private:
    // ...

 

Now that everything is in place, let’s build our package again and source it, using the first terminal:

cd ~/ros2_ws/
colcon build --packages-select rule_based_obstacle_avoidance
source install/setup.bash

The package should have been built with no problems:

user:~/ros2_ws$ colcon build --packages-select rule_based_obstacle_avoidance
Starting >>> rule_based_obstacle_avoidance
Finished <<< rule_based_obstacle_avoidance [27.3s]

Summary: 1 package finished [27.7s]

 

Now that our package has been rebuilt and sourced, let’s launch the simulation again:

ros2 launch neo_simulation2 simulation.launch.py

The simulation should have been opened just like before, but now we will see the parameters affecting the simulation in “real-time”.

Before changing the parameters, let’s also launch the Obstacle Avoidance node, just like before, using the second terminal:

ros2 run rule_based_obstacle_avoidance obstacle_avoidance

You should see the robot approaching the wall, and turning around when getting close to it.

Changing the x velocity using ROS 2 Parameters

Ok, now that the robot is moving, let’s retrieve again the current value of the linear x velocity using the third terminal:

ros2 param get /obstacle_avoidance_node linear_x_velocity

Just like before, the expected output is:

Double value is: 0.2

 

Now let’s change that value:

ros2 param set /obstacle_avoidance_node  linear_x_velocity  1.0

We expect a successful output:

Set parameter successful

 

If you look at the simulation now, you should see that when the robot is moving forward (not turning around), it moves really faster. So, as we can see, we are now able to make ROS2 Parameters be reflected “instantly”.

This opens up really many different possibilities.

We hope this post was really helpful to you. If you want a live version of this post with more details, please check the video in the next section.

Youtube video

So this is the post for today. Remember that we have the live version of this post on YouTube. If you liked the content, please consider subscribing to our youtube channel. We are publishing new content ~every day.

Keep pushing your ROS Learning.

Related Courses & Training

If you want to learn more about ROS and ROS2, we recommend the following courses:

How to create ros2 XML launch files

How to create ros2 XML launch files

In this post, you will learn how to create ros2 XML launch files. You’ll discover how ros2 XML launch files are similar to and different from their ros1 counterparts.

Step 1: Get a Copy of the ROS package containing the code used in the post

Click here to copy the project. It would be copied to your cloud account at The Construct. That done, open the project using the Run button. This might take a few moments, please be patient.

Run rosject

PS: If you don’t have an account on the The Construct, you would need to create one. Once you create an account or log in, you will be able to follow the steps to read and write parameters in ros1 and ros2.

You might also want to try this on a local PC if you have ROS installed. In that case you need to read on and duplicate the source code of the package in your own local workspace. However, please note that we cannot support local PCs and you will have to fix any errors you run into on your own.

Step 2: Explore the source code using the IDE

Open Code Editor

Open the IDE by clicking on the icon as shown above. You should now see something similar to the image below:

ros2 XML launch file

The main file we will work with in this post is the one highlighted in red in the image above:

  1. ~/turtlebot3_ws/src/turtlebot3_simulations/turtlebot3_gazebo/launch/turtlebot3_world_action_server.launch.xml

Double-click on the file in the IDE to open and study the contents. We will discuss this file in the following steps.

Step 3: Understand how to create ros2 XML launch files

Wait first! I thought ros2 launch files are only written in Python! Yes, Python is one of the options when writing ros2 launch files; we can also use XML files, especially if we are writing simple launch files that do not need to leverage Python’s powerful API.

Let’s have a look at the XML file:

<launch>
    <arg name="use_sim_time" default="true"/>
    <include file="$(find-pkg-share turtlebot3_gazebo)/launch/turtlebot3_world.launch.py">
        <arg name="use_sim_time" value="$(var use_sim_time)"/>
    </include>
    <node pkg="patrol_action_server" exec="patrol_action_server_exe" name="patrol_action_server">
    </node>
</launch>

What exactly is happening in the launch file?

  • On line 2, we define an argument (variable) use_sim_time with a default value of true.
  • On line 3, we include another launch file, turtlebot3_world.launch.py for launching the TurtleBot3 world. The launch file can be found in the turtlebot3_gazebo package.
  • On line 4, we pass a required argument use_sim_time to the included launch file, assigning it the value of the use_sim_time defined on line 2.
  • On line 6, we define a node to be started by the launch file. This node can be found in the package patrol_action_server, the node executable is patrol_action_server_exe and the name of the node would appear as patrol_action_server.

In short, this launch file launches the TurtleBot3 world and starts the Patrol action server. The same launch file can be written in Python, but this XML looks simpler and easier to understand. And it does all we want it to do, and we can even include Python-based launch files!

Step 4: Understand how ros2 XML launch files are similar to/different from ros1 XML launch files

If you are familiar with ros1 launch files, you should already notice some similarities:

  • The same <launch> tag.
  • Similar <arg> tag.
  • Familiar <include> tag.
  • Similar <node> tag.

Now if we were writing the same launch file in ros1, it would be something like this (PS: we can’t include ros2 launch file in a ros1 launch file in reality):

<launch>
    <arg name="use_sim_time" default="true"/>
    <include file="$(find turtlebot3_gazebo)/launch/turtlebot3_world.launch.py">
        <arg name="use_sim_time" value="$(arg use_sim_time)"/>
    </include>
    <node pkg="patrol_action_server" type="patrol_action_server_exe" name="patrol_action_server">
    </node>
</launch>

Can you spot the differences? Compare what you find with the list of differences below:

  • In file attribute of the the <include> tag on line 3, ros2 uses find-pkg-share while ros1 uses find.
  • In the value attribute of the <arg> tag on line 4, ros2 uses var to get the value of the argument while ros1 uses arg.
  • In the <node> tag, ros2 uses the exec attribute to specify the executable file to run while ros1 uses the type attribute.

Interesting, isn’t it? Now let’s see if the ros2 XML launch file works.

Step 5: Launch the ros2 XML launch file!

It’s time to see the ros2 XML launch file in action! Open a web shell and run the following commands:

cd ~/turtlebot3_ws
source install/setup.bash
export TURTLEBOT3_MODEL=burger
ros2 launch turtlebot3_gazebo turtlebot3_world_action_server.launch.xml

You should see the following simulation come up.

TurtleBot3 simulation
TurtleBot3 Simulation

Next, run the following command in the web another web shell

user:~$ ros2 node list

You should see /patrol_action_server (the node specified in the ros2 XML launch file) listed as one of the nodes.

Finally, let’s call the action server and see what happens to the simulation. Run the following in the last web shell used:

ros2 action send_goal --feedback /patrol custom_interfaces/action/Patrol radius:\ 0.2\

And that’s it – you have your ros2 XML launch file working!

Step 6: Check your learning

  1. Do you understand how to create ros2 XML launch files?
  2. Do you remember the similarities and differences in ros1 and ros2 XML launch files?

If you didn’t get any of the points above, please go over the post again, more carefully this time.

(Extra) Step 7: Watch the video to understand how to create ros2 XML launch files

Here you go:

https://www.youtube.com/video/yyUwKcWQ4DU

Feedback

Did you like this post? Do you have any questions about how to read and write parameters in ros1 and ros2? Whatever the case, please leave a comment on the comments section below, so we can interact and learn from each other.

If you want to learn about other ROS topics, please let us know in the comments area and we will do a video or post about it.

How to read and write parameters in ros1 and ros2

How to read and write parameters in ros1 and ros2

In this post, you will learn how to read and write parameters in ros1 and ros2, using C++ nodes. You will see the slight differences in the ros1 and ros2 nodes and parameter files.

Step 1: Get a Copy of the ROS package containing the code used in the post

Click here to copy the project. It would be copied to your cloud account at The Construct. That done, open the project using the Run button. This might take a few moments, please be patient.

Run rosject

PS: If you don’t have an account on the The Construct, you would need to create one. Once you create an account or log in, you will be able to follow the steps to read and write parameters in ros1 and ros2.

You might also want to try this on a local PC if you have ROS installed. In that case you need to read on and duplicate the source code of the package in your own local workspace. However, please note that we cannot support local PCs and you will have to fix any errors you run into on your own.

Step 2: Explore the source code using the IDE

Open Code Editor

Open the IDE by clicking on the icon as shown above. You should now see something similar to the image below:

Yaml Params

The six main files we will work with in this post are highlighted in red in the image above. These files are:

ROS1:

  1. catkin_ws/src/yaml_parameters_ros1/config/params_demo_ros1.yaml
  2. catkin_ws/src/yaml_parameters_ros1/launch/ros1_params_cpp_demo.launch
  3. catkin_ws/src/yaml_parameters_ros1/src/yaml_params_ros1.cpp

ROS2:

  1. ros2_ws/src/yaml_parameters/config/params_demo_ros2.yaml
  2. ros2_ws/src/yaml_parameters/launch/yaml_parameters.launch.py
  3. ros2_ws/src/yaml_parameters/src/yaml_params_ros2.cpp

Double-click on each of the files in the IDE to open and study the contents. We will examine some of these files in the following steps.

Step 3: Understand how to read and write (load) parameters in ROS1

Now it’s time to see how to read and write parameters in ros1, working in the ros1 workspace.

Open a web shell and run the following commands:

Open webshell
cd ~/catkin_ws
source /opt/ros/noetic/setup.bash
source devel/setup.bash
roscore

The code block above changes to the ros1 workspace, sources it, and then starts the roscore (needed for ros1). Now let’s see a list of the current ros1 parameters available. Open another web shell and type the following:

user:~/catkin_ws$ rosparam list

Your output should be similar to the following.

/rosdistro
/roslaunch/uris/host_1_xterm__41731
/rosversion
/run_id

On the same web shell, run the following command to print out the ros parameters:

rosrun yaml_parameters_ros1 yaml_parameters_ros1_node

Your output should be the following:

[ INFO] [1657670307.494093666]: Integer parameter: 1
[ INFO] [1657670307.495689754]: Double parameter: 0.100000
[ INFO] [1657670307.495741256]: String parameter: default
[ INFO] [1657670307.495773876]: Nested integer parameter: 1
[ INFO] [1657670307.495797588]: Nested string parameter: default
[ INFO] [1657670307.495819891]: Boolean parameter: 0

The logic that produced the output above in contained in the catkin_ws/src/yaml_parameters_ros1/src/yaml_params_ros1.cpp file. Let’s see its content.

#include "ros/ros.h"
#include <string>

int main(int argc, char **argv) {
  ros::init(argc, argv, "my_node");

  ros::NodeHandle nh;

  int param0 = 1;
  double param1 = 0.1;
  std::string param2 = "default";
  int p3weight = 1;
  std::string p3name = "default";
  bool param4 = false;
  std::vector<bool> param5{false, false, false};
  std::vector<int> param6{1, 1, 1};
  std::vector<double> param7{0.1, 0.1, 0.1};
  std::vector<std::string> param8{"default", "default", "default"};

  nh.getParam("param0", param0);
  nh.getParam("param1", param1);
  nh.getParam("param2", param2);
  nh.getParam("param3/weight", p3weight);
  nh.getParam("param3/name", p3name);
  nh.getParam("param4", param4);
  nh.getParam("param5", param5);
  nh.getParam("param6", param6);
  nh.getParam("param7", param7);
  nh.getParam("param8", param8);

  ROS_INFO("Integer parameter: %d", param0);
  ROS_INFO("Double parameter: %f", param1);
  ROS_INFO("String parameter: %s", param2.c_str());
  ROS_INFO("Nested integer parameter: %d", p3weight);
  ROS_INFO("Nested string parameter: %s", p3name.c_str());
  ROS_INFO("Boolean parameter: %d", param4);
  ROS_INFO("Boolean vector parameter [0]: %d", static_cast<int>(param5[0]));
  ROS_INFO("Integer vector parameter [0]: %d", static_cast<int>(param6[0]));
  ROS_INFO("Double vector parameter [0]: %f", static_cast<double>(param7[0]));
  ROS_INFO("String vector parameter [0]: %s", param8[0].c_str());

  return 0;
}

But wait…are we getting the parameters in the YAML file (catkin_ws/src/yaml_parameters_ros1/config/params_demo_ros1.yaml) and their correct values? Let’s see what’s the in there!

# interger array
param0: 2
# double
param1: 0.2
# string
param2: "R2-D2"
# nested parameters
param3: 
  weight: 2
  name: "wood"
# boolean
param4: true
# boolean array
param5: [true, true, true]
# interger array
param6: [5,6,7,8]
# double array
param7: [0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5]
# string array
param8: ["Bedroom", "Bathroom", "Laundry room", "Kitchen", "Living room"]

Gosh, we are not getting these parameters nor their values, and you probably know why! So far we have been reading the parameters but have loaded them. Now let’s get that done: enter the launch file catkin_ws/src/yaml_parameters_ros1/launch/ros1_params_cpp_demo.launch.

<launch>
    <rosparam file="$(find yaml_parameters_ros1)/config/params_demo_ros1.yaml" />
</launch>

This file, when launched, loads the YAML parameter file. Let’s see that in action. Run the following command in the open web shell:

roslaunch yaml_parameters_ros1 ros1_params_cpp_demo.launch

You should get something like the following:

... logging to /home/user/.ros/log/c5f51462-023c-11ed-bb5c-0242ac180007/roslaunch-1_xterm-13868.log
Checking log directory for disk usage. This may take a while.
Press Ctrl-C to interrupt
Done checking log file disk usage. Usage is <1GB.

started roslaunch server http://1_xterm:45437/

SUMMARY
========

PARAMETERS
 * /param0: 2
 * /param1: 0.2
 * /param2: R2-D2
 * /param3/name: wood
 * /param3/weight: 2
 * /param4: True
 * /param5: [True, True, True]
 * /param6: [5, 6, 7, 8]
 * /param7: [0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5]
 * /param8: ['Bedroom', 'Bath...
 * /rosdistro: noetic
 * /rosversion: 1.15.11

NODES

ROS_MASTER_URI=http://1_xterm:11311

No processes to monitor
shutting down processing monitor...
... shutting down processing monitor complete

Well we have some fancy output there, but what has changed? Let’s see that by running two previous commands:

rosparam list
rosrun yaml_parameters_ros1 yaml_parameters_ros1_node

Your output should now look like this:

user:~/catkin_ws$ rosparam list
/param0
/param1
/param2
/param3/name
/param3/weight
/param4
/param5
/param6
/param7
/param8
/rosdistro
/roslaunch/uris/host_1_xterm__41731
/roslaunch/uris/host_1_xterm__45437
/rosversion
/run_id
user:~/catkin_ws$ rosrun yaml_parameters_ros1 yaml_parameters_ros1_node
[ INFO] [1657671513.558912623]: Integer parameter: 2
[ INFO] [1657671513.560352415]: Double parameter: 0.200000
[ INFO] [1657671513.560386238]: String parameter: R2-D2
[ INFO] [1657671513.560404606]: Nested integer parameter: 2
[ INFO] [1657671513.560420530]: Nested string parameter: wood
[ INFO] [1657671513.560435749]: Boolean parameter: 1
[ INFO] [1657671513.560450679]: Boolean vector parameter [0]: 1
[ INFO] [1657671513.560465819]: Integer vector parameter [0]: 5
[ INFO] [1657671513.560484622]: Double vector parameter [0]: 0.200000
[ INFO] [1657671513.560497372]: String vector parameter [0]: Bedroom

Can you spot the differences between the formal and the latter outputs of these commands? Sure you can! So, well, that’s how to read and load parameter in ros1!

Step 4: Understand how to read and write (load) parameters in ROS2

Now let’s change to the ros2 workspace.

cd ~/ros2_ws
source /opt/ros/foxy/setup.bash
source install/setup.bash

In ros2 we need to have a node running before we can check for parameters, because there is no parameter server in ros2. Let’s try running the node then. The logic behind this node is contained in the ros2_ws/src/yaml_parameters/src/yaml_params_ros2.cpp file:

#include <rclcpp/rclcpp.hpp>

class MainNode : public rclcpp::Node {
public:
  MainNode() : rclcpp::Node("node", rclcpp::NodeOptions()) {

    // example: declare parameters, default value given
    declare_parameter("param0", 1);
    declare_parameter("param1", 0.1);
    declare_parameter("param2", "default");
    declare_parameter("param3.weight", 1);
    declare_parameter("param3.name", "default");
    declare_parameter("param4", false);
    // example: declare a variable when declaring a parameter
    declare_parameter("param5", std::vector<bool>(3, false));
    declare_parameter("param6", std::vector<int64_t>(4, 1));
    declare_parameter("param7", std::vector<double>(4, 0.1));
    declare_parameter("param8", std::vector<std::string>(5, "default"));

    // Get parameter values one by one
    auto p0 = get_parameter("param0").as_int();
    auto p1 = get_parameter("param1").as_double();
    auto p2 = get_parameter("param2").as_string();
    auto p3weight = get_parameter("param3.weight").as_int();
    auto p3name = get_parameter("param3.name").as_string();
    auto p4 = get_parameter("param4").as_bool();
    auto p5 = get_parameter("param5").as_bool_array();
    auto p6 = get_parameter("param6").as_integer_array();
    auto p7 = get_parameter("param7").as_double_array();
    auto p8 = get_parameter("param8").as_string_array();

    // Print parameters
    RCLCPP_INFO(get_logger(), "Integer parameter: %ld", p0);
    RCLCPP_INFO(get_logger(), "Double parameter: %f", p1);
    RCLCPP_INFO(get_logger(), "String parameter: %s", p2.c_str());
    RCLCPP_INFO(get_logger(), "Nested integer parameter: %ld", p3weight);
    RCLCPP_INFO(get_logger(), "Nested string parameter: %s", p3name.c_str());
    RCLCPP_INFO(get_logger(), "Boolean parameter: %d", p4);
    RCLCPP_INFO(get_logger(), "Boolean vector parameter [0]: %d",
                static_cast<int>(p5[0]));
    RCLCPP_INFO(get_logger(), "Integer vector parameter [0]: %d",
                static_cast<int>(p6[0]));
    RCLCPP_INFO(get_logger(), "Double vector parameter [0]: %f",
                static_cast<double>(p7[0]));
    RCLCPP_INFO(get_logger(), "String vector parameter [0]: %s", p8[0].c_str());
  }
};

int main(int argc, char **argv) {
  rclcpp::init(argc, argv);

  rclcpp::spin(std::make_shared<MainNode>());
  rclcpp::shutdown();
  return 0;
}

Go for it: run the node:

ros2 run yaml_parameters main_node

The output will be something like:

INFO] [1657672243.344585940] [node]: Integer parameter: 1
[INFO] [1657672243.344674910] [node]: Double parameter: 0.100000
[INFO] [1657672243.344704157] [node]: String parameter: default
[INFO] [1657672243.344720646] [node]: Nested integer parameter: 1
[INFO] [1657672243.344730700] [node]: Nested string parameter: default
[INFO] [1657672243.344745410] [node]: Boolean parameter: 0
[INFO] [1657672243.344755485] [node]: Boolean vector parameter [0]: 0
[INFO] [1657672243.344769947] [node]: Integer vector parameter [0]: 1
[INFO] [1657672243.344780509] [node]: Double vector parameter [0]: 0.100000
[INFO] [1657672243.344795534] [node]: String vector parameter [0]: default

Next, let’s get the list of ROS2 parameters:

user:~$ ros2 param list
/node:
  param0
  param1
  param2
  param3.name
  param3.weight
  param4
  param5
  param6
  param7
  param8
  use_sim_time

Buff…are we getting the values of the parameters in the YAML file ros2_ws/src/yaml_parameters/config/params_demo_ros2.yaml?

# if a namespace is specified
# ns_name: 
# node name
parameter_types_example: 
  ros__parameters:
    # int
    param0: 2
    # double
    param1: 0.2
    # string
    param2: "R2-D2"
    # nested parameters
    param3: 
      weight: 2
      name: "wood"
    # boolean
    param4: true
    # boolean array
    param5: [true, true, true]
    # interger array
    param6: [5,6,7,8]
    # double array
    param7: [0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5]
    # string array
    param8: ["Bedroom", "Bathroom", "Laundry room", "Kitchen", "Living room"]

No, we are not :(. But not to worry, the launch file ros2_ws/src/yaml_parameters/launch/yaml_parameters.launch.py comes to the rescue! Let’s examine its content.

#!/usr/bin/env python3

import os
from launch import LaunchDescription
from launch_ros.actions import Node
from ament_index_python.packages import get_package_share_directory


def generate_launch_description():
    return LaunchDescription([
        Node(
            package='yaml_parameters',
            executable='main_node',
            name='parameter_types_example',
            parameters=[os.path.join(
                get_package_share_directory('yaml_parameters'),
                'config', 'params_demo_ros2.yaml')],
            output='screen'),
    ])

Oh my, it’s a Python! Let’s set it loose and see what happens! Stop the currently running program with Ctrl + C and run the following in its place and check that your output is similar.

user:~/ros2_ws$ ros2 launch yaml_parameters yaml_parameters.launch.py
[INFO] [launch]: All log files can be found below /home/user/.ros/log/2022-07-13-00-40-35-558545-1_xterm-18432
[INFO] [launch]: Default logging verbosity is set to INFO
[INFO] [main_node-1]: process started with pid [18434]
[main_node-1] [INFO] [1657672835.736702673] [parameter_types_example]: Integer parameter: 2
[main_node-1] [INFO] [1657672835.736792219] [parameter_types_example]: Double parameter: 0.200000
[main_node-1] [INFO] [1657672835.736810397] [parameter_types_example]: String parameter: R2-D2
[main_node-1] [INFO] [1657672835.736842588] [parameter_types_example]: Nested integer parameter: 2
[main_node-1] [INFO] [1657672835.736847188] [parameter_types_example]: Nested string parameter: wood
[main_node-1] [INFO] [1657672835.736855303] [parameter_types_example]: Boolean parameter: 1
[main_node-1] [INFO] [1657672835.736863129] [parameter_types_example]: Boolean vector parameter [0]: 1
[main_node-1] [INFO] [1657672835.736870819] [parameter_types_example]: Integer vector parameter [0]: 5
[main_node-1] [INFO] [1657672835.736878422] [parameter_types_example]: Double vector parameter [0]: 0.200000
[main_node-1] [INFO] [1657672835.736887246] [parameter_types_example]: String vector parameter [0]: Bedroom

The launch file simply loads the parameters in the YAML file and also runs the node we run earlier.

Well, that’s it!

Step 5: Check your learning

  1. Do you understand how to read and write parameters in ros1 and ros2, using C++ nodes?
  2. Did you notice the slight differences in the format of the YAML files for ros1 and ros2?
  3. Did you notice that you the ros2 parameters are tied to specific nodes vs existing in a parameter server in ros1?

If you didn’t get any of the points above, please go over the post again, more carefully this time.

Extra Step: Watch the video to understand how to read and write parameters in ros1 and ros2

Here you go:

Feedback

Did you like this post? Do you have any questions about how to read and write parameters in ros1 and ros2? Whatever the case, please leave a comment on the comments section below, so we can interact and learn from each other.

If you want to learn about other ROS topics, please let us know in the comments area and we will do a video or post about it.

Program Drones using ROS2 – Episode 1

Program Drones using ROS2 – Episode 1

In this post, we will see how to program drones using ROS2. Perhaps you have programmed drones using ROS1, found that programming drones using ROS2 is not as straightforward, and have been wondering, “how the heck do you program drones using ROS2?” You have come to the right place!

Step 1: Grab the required source code

You can program drones using ROS2 on your local PC by following the instructions in this repository step by step. However if you use the rosject you copied below, we have already done most of the heavy lifting for you and you just need to run a few commands to get your drone flying!

Click here to get your own copy of the project (PS: If you don’t have an account on the ROS Development Studio, you would need to create one. Once you create an account or log in, we will copy the project to your workspace).

Run rosject

That done, open the project using the Run button. This might take a few moments, please be patient.

Step 2: Understand the basic components

The ros2 drone system used in this post consists of three main parts:

  1. A ros2 simulation containing the simulation and the plugin that connects to the rest of the system.
  2. The PX4-Autopilot system.
  3. A Ground Control system for controlling the drone.

You’ll have to start these systems in order, as we’ll see in the next step.

PS: If you are doing the setup from the LS2N-Drone repository directly and running on your local PC, please adapt the next step for your local setup.

Step 3: Get the ROS2 drone flying!

Open a web shell and run the following commands:

Open webshell

sudo rm -rf /etc/apt/sources.list.d/husarnet.list && sudo apt update
sudo apt-get remove modemmanager -y
sudo apt install gstreamer1.0-plugins-bad gstreamer1.0-libav gstreamer1.0-gl -y
pip3 install pyros-genmsg transforms3d guizero scipy qtm pymavlink mttkinter jinja2 inputs toml pyqtgraph

Next, start the ros2 simulation:

cd ~/ros2_ws
source install/setup.bash
ros2 launch ls2n_drone_simulation single_drone_trajectory_sitl.launch.py

By this time, you should have the simulation running. Open the Gazebo app (if not opened automatically) to see it. Right click on the drone model on the left pane and select “Follow” to keep seeing the drone when it takes off.

Open Gazebo

LS2N-Drone Simulation: program drones using ROS2

Now, open another web shell and start the PX-4 system:

cd ~
cd px4-autopilot/Tools/
./gazebo_sitl_multiple_run_only_px4.sh

Finally, start the ground control system in another web shell:

user:~$ cd squashfs-root/
user:~/squashfs-root$ ./AppRun

The ground control GUI should load shortly. Open the Graphical Tools app to see it, if not opened automatically:

Open graphical tools

ros2 drone ground control

Time to take off the drone!

  1. Ensure the top-left corner of the controller says “Ready to Fly” in a green background.
  2. Click the Takeoff button on the top left.
  3. In the bottom middle, drag the slider to the right to confirm takeoff. You should see something similar to the image below.
  4. If the takeoff does not work, repeat 2 & 3.
  5. After takeoff, the button changes to “Land”. Use it to land the drone.

ros2 drone flying

Step 4: Consolidate your learning

Do you understand how to program drones using ROS2 after watching the video? If not, please review the material again and perhaps go over the video again. Let us know any problems you are seeing in the comments.

Extra Step: Watch the video for the sights and sounds version of how to program drones using ROS2

Here you go:

Related Resources

Feedback

Did you like this post? Do you have any questions about the explanations? Whatever the case, please leave a comment on the comments section below, so we can interact and learn from each other. If you want to learn about other ROS2 topics, please let us know in the comments area and we will do a video or post about it.

How to setup MoveIt! for a Robot Arm

How to setup MoveIt! for a Robot Arm

In this post, you will learn how to setup MoveIt! for a Robot Arm. You’ll be able to connect live to a robot manipulator arm to see MoveIt! in action.

This video answers this question asked on ROS Answers. You’ll learn:

  • How to setup MoveIt! for a Robot Arm using the setup assistant
  • How to connect to a real robot arm (provided by The Construct) to test the MoveIt! setup

Step 1: Log in to ROS Development Studio

Click here to login.

Login or sign up to learn how to setup MoveIt! for a Robot arm

PS: If you don’t have an account on the ROS Development Studio, you would need to create one. Once you create an account or log in, you will be able to follow the steps to setup MoveIt! for a Robot Arm. You will also get access to the robot arm in our remote real robot lab, among other features.

You might also want to try this on a local PC if you have ROS installed. However, please note that we cannot support local PCs and you will have to fix any errors you run into on your own.

Step 2: Watch the video to understand how to setup MoveIt! for a Robot Arm

Main point: you just need to have the URDF file for the robot arm and you feed that into MoveIt!

Here you go:

Step 3: Consolidate your learning

Do you understand how to setup MoveIt! for a Robot Arm? If not, have you gone over the video again? If you have any problems with setting up MoveIt! for the arm, please let us know in the comments.

Related Resources

Feedback

Did you like this post? Do you have any questions about how to setup MoveIt! for a Robot Arm? Whatever the case, please leave a comment on the comments section below, so we can interact and learn from each other.

If you want to learn about other ROS topics, please let us know in the comments area and we will do a video or post about it.

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