This ROS 2 package embodies a Webots-based simulation environment for the lab tasks of the MPC-RBT course. The simulated scenario involves a small warehouse equipped with a compact mobile robot to fulfill tasks such as pick-and-place operations. The overall goal is to tackle basic challenges in mobile robotics, including self-localization, path planning, and motion control, as well as to become familiar with both the ROS 2 framework and the Webots simulator.
TODO: add some details (robot model, sensors etc)
To run the project (use this package) various software requirements must be met. This section briefly describes the installation procedure.
The project requires the Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Linux distribution. Follow the official installation guide to install it:
https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/install-ubuntu-desktop#1-overview
Warning
Proceed carefully to prevent possible data loss in case of installation on a PC/Laptop with another operating system.
The key software framework used in this project is ROS 2 Humble. To install it from a pre-built binary package, follow this official guide:
https://docs.ros.org/en/humble/Installation/Alternatives/Ubuntu-Install-Binary.html
Webots is the desktop application used to simulate robots and the environment in this project. It requires Webots version 2023b. One way to install it is to download the pre-built webots_2023b_amd64.deb package from the release page:
https://github.com/cyberbotics/webots/releases/tag/R2023b
And install it from the same directory manually using:
wget https://github.com/cyberbotics/webots/releases/download/R2023b/webots_2023b_amd64.deb && sudo apt install ./webots_2023b_amd64.deb
Another option is to set up pre-built binary installation from remote apt repositories. All installation options can be found here:
https://cyberbotics.com/doc/guide/installation-procedure?tab-os=linux#installation-on-linux
A ROS 2 workspace is represented by a directory (e.g., mpc_rbt_ws), and packages are typically located in the src subdirectory (additional directories build, install, log will be created after compilation). Navigate to the desired location and prepare your workspace:
mkdir mpc_rbt_ws mpc_rbt_ws/src
cd mpc_rbt_ws
This repository embodies a single ROS 2 package. Navigate to the workspace directory (mpc_rbt_ws) and clone this repository into its src subdirectory using the following command:
git clone https://github.com/Robotics-BUT/mpc-rbt-simulator.git src/mpc_rbt_simulator
or:
git clone [email protected]:Robotics-BUT/mpc-rbt-simulator.git src/mpc_rbt_simulator
Package dependencies (mostly other ROS 2 packages) are listed in package.xml and can be installed either manually (from source or binary) or automatically via the rosdep utility.
Install rosdep (if necessary):
apt-get install python3-rosdep
Initialize it and update the rosdistro index:
sudo rosdep init
rosdep update
Install all dependencies using the following command:
rosdep install --from-paths src -y -r --ignore-src --rosdistro humble
Most of the dependencies are a common part of the ROS 2 distribution. An exception is the package webots_ros2_driver, which is necessary to connect ROS 2 and the Webots simulator.
Any IDE may be used to work on this projet. Visual Studio Code, for example, is a good choice. To install it, download its .deb package from the official website:
https://code.visualstudio.com/
Install it from the same directory using:
sudo apt install ./<file>.deb
TODO
Navigate to the workspace directory (mpc_rbt_ws) and build it:
colcon build
Set up the environment for the workspace:
source install/setup.bash
Launch the project (including the simulation) using:
ros2 launch mpc_rbt_simulator simulation.launch.py
Navigate to the workspace directory (mpc_rbt_ws) and build it:
colcon build
Change the initial robot position in src/mpc_rbt_simulator/worlds/mpc-rbt-warehouse.wbt to 0 2.5 0.095 by modifying the translation parameter in TiagoBase.
Spawn the simulation with the robot controller using:
webots --port=1234 --no-rendering --stdout --stderr --minimize ./src/mpc_rbt_simulator/worlds/mpc-rbt-warehouse.wbt --batch --mode=realtime
Note
If you want to watch the simulation during tests remove the --no-rendering and --minimize arguments.
Run tests using:
WEBOTS_CONTROLLER_PORT=1234 colcon test --ctest-args tests
View the results using:
colcon test-result --verbose --all