A robot that will autonomously map an environment and navigate to pickup and deliver objects!

Overview • Prerequisites • Directory Structure • How To Launch • Testing

Overview

This project is a part of Udacity's Robotics Software Engineer Nanodegree Program. In this project, I used ROSbot as a mobile robot and aws-robomaker-small-house-world as a gazebo world to replicate realistic simulation.

Mapping:

• The script file that performs mapping is test_slam.sh. This script is used to manually test SLAM.

Localization and Navigation:

• The script file that performs localization and navigation is test_navigation.sh. This script file is used for manual navigation test. The robot should be able to navigate in the environment after a 2D Nav Goal command is issued.
• The file starts map_server node, amcl from package navigation node and move_base from navigation package node.To know more about this package, checkout my other project focused on amcl pakgae here.

pick_objects.sh

This script file runs pick_objects node from pick_objects package in addition to the test_navigation.sh. This file will send multiple goals for the robot to reach.The robot travels to the desired pickup zone, displays a message that it reached its destination, waits 5 seconds, travels to the desired drop off zone, and displays a message that it reached the drop off zone.

add_marker.sh

This script file runs add_marker node from add_marker package in addition to the test_navigation.sh. and The node analyzes command line arguments, set marker properties and publishes topic visualization_marker to rviz.

home_service.sh

The marker from 'add_marker.sh` should initially be published at the pickup zone. After 5 seconds it should be hidden. Then after another 5 seconds it should appear at the drop off zone. The home_service.sh file that will run all the nodes as:

• Initially show the marker at the pickup zone.
• Hide the marker once your robot reach the pickup zone.
• Wait 5 seconds to simulate a pickup.
• Show the marker at the drop off zone once your robot reaches it.

Prerequisites

• Gazebo >= 7.0
• ROS >= Kinetic
• ROS navigation package

sudo apt-get install ros-${ROS_DISTRO}-navigation

• ROS map_server package

sudo apt-get install ros-${ROS_DISTRO}-map-server

• ROS move_base package

sudo apt-get install ros-${ROS_DISTRO}-move-base

• ROS amcl package

sudo apt-get install ros-${ROS_DISTRO}-amcl

• xterm

sudo apt-get install -y xterm

• make >= 4.1(mac, linux), 3.81(Windows)
  • Linux: make is installed by default on most Linux distros
  • Mac: install Xcode command line tools to get make
  • Windows: Click here for installation instructions
• gcc/g++ >= 5.4
  • Linux: gcc / g++ is installed by default on most Linux distros
  • Mac: same deal as make - install Xcode command line tools
  • Windows: recommend using MinGW

Directory Structure

.Home-Service-Robot                            # Home-Service-Robot Project
├── catkin_ws                                  # Catkin workspace
│   ├── images
│   ├── scripts
│   │   ├── add_marker.sh                      # shell script that launches the turtlebot , AMCL , rviz , and add_markers node        
│   │   ├── home_service.sh                    # script file that launches home-service-robot        
│   │   ├── pick_objects.sh                    # script file that launches the turtlebot , AMCL , rviz and your pick_objects node
│   │   ├── test_navigation.sh                 # Localization and Navigation Testing script       
│   │   ├── test_slam.sh                       # SLAM testing script        
│   ├── src
│   │   ├── add_markers    
│   │   │   ├── src                        
│   │   │   │   ├── add_markers.cpp            #add_marker node
│   │   │   ├── CMakeLists.txt
│   │   │   ├── package.xml                    
│   │   ├── aws-robomaker-small-house-world    # folder that contains small-house world
│   │   ├── my_robot                           # my_robot package        
│   │   │   ├── launch                         # launch folder for launch files  
│   │   │   │   ├── mapping.launch
│   │   │   │   ├── robot_description.launch
│   │   │   │   ├── world.launch               # Launches bookstore world
│   │   │   │   ├── teleop.launch              # To drive the rosbot
│   │   │   ├── meshes                         # meshes folder for sensors
│   │   │   │   ├── astra.stl
│   │   │   │   ├── box.stl
│   │   │   │   ├── rplidar.stl
│   │   │   │   ├── upper.stl
│   │   │   │   ├── wheel.stl
│   │   │   ├── realsense2_camera              # folder that contains launch files for realsense camera
│   │   │   ├── realsense2_description         # folder that contains description files for realsense camera
│   │   │   ├── urdf                           # urdf folder for xarco files
│   │   │   │   ├── materials.xacro            #contains material properties used in rosbot
│   │   │   │   ├── my_robot.xacro             
│   │   │   │   ├── rosbot.gazebo              #contains plugins to interact with rosbot
│   │   │   ├── worlds                         # world folder for world files
│   │   │   │   ├── empty.world
│   │   ├── pick_objects   
│   │   │   ├── src                        
│   │   │   │   ├── pick_objects.cppadd_markers.cpp    # pick_objects node
│   │   │   ├── CMakeLists.txt
│   │   │   ├── package.xml                    
│   │   ├── slam-gmapping                      # folder that contains launch file for SLAM testing
│   │   ├── teleop_twist_keyboard              # folder that contains teleop node
│   │   ├── CMakeLists.txt                     # compiler instructions

How To Launch

Clone the project in catkin_ws/src/ and source the environment

$ cd /home/workspace/catkin_ws/src/
$ git clone https://github.com/Vamshi2198/Home-Service-Robot
$ source /opt/ros/${ROS_DISTRO}/setup.bash

Note : The world file proivided is empy because it only contains the url of remote repository, for this purpose you need to clone the aws-bookstore-world and place it inside your src folder. Also, delete the folder named aws-robomaker-bookstore-world manually before cloning.

$ cd /home/workspace/catkin_ws/src/Home-Service-Robot/src/
$ git clone https://github.com/aws-robotics/aws-robomaker-small-house-world

Also, repeat the same with teleop_twist_keyboard packages. i.e, remove the empty file folder and clone the packages

$ cd /home/workspace/catkin_ws/src/Home-Service-Robot/src/
$ git clone https://github.com/ros-teleop/teleop_twist_keyboard

Build the Home-Service-Robot project

$ cd /home/workspace/catkin_ws/ 
$ catkin_make

After building the package, source your workspace

$ cd /home/workspace/catkin_ws/
$ source devel/setup.bash

Navigate to scripts folder and run home_service.sh shell script to test virtual objects

$ ./home_service.sh

Note: you need to give permission to run the script file by:

$ chmod +x <scriptfile>

if you want to test individual scrpits follow the same procedure as above.

Testing

After launching the home_service.sh script file, you can see the marker appears in blue and is picked up and dropped off depending on the location parameters.

The code was tested on the following specifications:

• Processor: Intel Core i7-10875H
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti 4GB GDDR6
• OS: Ubuntu 20.04.3 LTS
• Kernal: 5.10.60.1-microsoft-standard-WSL2
• ROS: noetic