MLR robotics course & practical robotics course

This repo is based on RAI code, including its python bindings. See https://github.com/MarcToussaint/rai for a README of the RAI code.

Quick Start

This assumes a standard Ubuntu 18.04 machine.

WE DIDN'T GET TO RUN THIS WITH ANACONDA PYTHON. If you have Anaconda installed, please remove it from the PATH in .bashrc. The setup below will install the standard Ubuntu python3 and jupyter notebook.

In the PRACTICAL ROBOTICS COURSE (where we use ROS), change 'ROS = 0' to '#ROS = 0' in 'config.mk' before compilation. (Not applicable to Robotics Course WS 19/20, no need for ROS installation)

git clone https://github.com/MarcToussaint/robotics-course.git
cd robotics-course

git submodule init
git submodule update

make -j1 installUbuntuAll  # calls sudo apt-get install; you can always interrupt
make -j4                   # builds libs and tests

pip3 install --user jupyter
pip3 install --user matplotlib

jupyter-notebook docs/1-basics.ipynb 

After loading the pr2 and the kitchen (running first 3 cells in the notebook), the simulator window should look similar to:

Updating after a pulling a new version

git submodule update
make dependAll
make -j4

Tutorials

1. Basics: Configurations, Features & Jacobians
2. Features: Learn about the language to define and query features and their Jacobians. Including querying collision features (whether and which objects are in collision).

Practical Robotics Course Information

Not applicable to Robotics Course WS 19/20

(Not So) Quick Start

• Install ROS Kinetic
• Source and install

pip install wstools catkin_pkg --user
source /opt/ros/kinetic/setup.bash

• The following assumes all git repos are cloned into $HOME/git
• clone

mkdir -p ~/git
cd ~/git
git clone https://github.com/MarcToussaint/robotics-course.git
cd robotics-course
git submodule init
git submodule update

• change ROS = 0 to #ROS = 0 in config.mk
• install also baxter sources using

cd external
./installBaxterSources.sh

• compile

make -j1 installUbuntuAll  # calls sudo apt-get install; you can always interrupt
make -j4                   # builds libs and tests

• if using c++, install qtcreator as described here
• when in the lab, connect to the wifi mlr-robolab (password: mlr-robolab)
• call source bin/baxterwlansetup.sh from ~/git/robotics-course
• source ROS and the baxter sources

source /opt/ros/kinetic/setup.bash
source external/devel/setup.bash

• IF YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE USING BAXTER, turn on baxter and call bin/baxterStart.sh
• Try rostopic list
• Try the cpp example

cd cpp/p1-baxterMini
make
./x.exe -useRos 1

• Try the python example

cd py/p1-motion
jupyter-notebook p1-motion.ipynb 

• Before turning off baxter, run rosrun baxter_tools tuck_arms.py -t

Documentation & Installation Pointers

Installation

• ROS kinectic (for Ubuntu 16.04) or ROS melodic (for Ubuntu 18.04)
• OpenCV (4.0.1, from source)
• qtcreator (4.6.1 or ubuntu, setting up projects, pretty printers, source parsing)

rai code

• rai::Array and arr (tensors, arrays, std::vector)
• Features and Objectives for KOMO
• Graph and .g files (Python dictionaries, any-type container, file format, logic)
• Editing robot model/configuration files (URDF, transformations, frame tree)
• docker (testing rai within docker, also Ubuntu 18.04)

rai examples

• Python examples
• Python robotics exercises
• Cpp robotics exercises

More details on handling baxter

Booting

On the back of the robot near the pedestal base, there is a power button. Push it and wait for the machine to finish booting.

Communicating with Baxter

Connect to the lab mlr-robolab WLAN (password: mlr-robolab)

Baxter runs with ROS, and you'll need to set your environment variables to enable ROS communication. The easiest way to do this is to connect to run one of following scripts in Terminal from the mlr folder:

source bin/baxterwlansetup.sh

Start-up

Call the start-up script, which enables baxter, untucks the arms, turns off the ultrasonics (they click very loudly in any videos), and calibrates the grippers.

bin/baxterStart.sh

Kill /end_effector_publisher node which corrupts the /robot/joint_states. This only has to be run once when the robot is turned on.

rosnode kill /end_effector_publisher

Using vacuum gripper

Switch on the air pump. Pull and slowly turn the black valve to make the air pressure around 60-100psi (preferably 70 psi, the pressure will increase slowly so turn the valve slowly as it increases) Once the pressure is set the pump will automatically keep its pressure. Turn off air pump when finished using.

The gripper can be accessed same as the electric gripper.

Accessing camera

• To launch the ASUS camera, install openni2. Change kinetic to a different ROS version in the command if you're not using Kinetic.

sudo apt-get install ros-kinetic-openni2-launch

Plug in the camera USB and run the following command.

roslaunch openni2_launch openni2.launch depth_registration:="true" hw_registered_processing:="true" color_depth_synchronization:="true" auto_exposure:="false" auto_white_balance:="false"

• To launch the Kinect camera, install freenect. Change kinetic to a different ROS version in the command if you're not using Kinetic.

sudo apt-get install ros-kinetic-freenect-stack

Plug in the camera USB and run the following command.

roslaunch freenect_launch freenect.launch camera:="kinect"

Shutdown

Always tuck the arms before shutting down, to keep the spring wear to a minimum.

bin/baxterTuck.sh

or

rosrun baxter_tools tuck_arms.py -t

Then press the power button once to turn the robot off.

Alternatively, you can ssh in to the robot (password: rethink) and run:

ssh [email protected]
sudo shutdown -h now

Troubles

• One some machines, OpenGL with the glfw seems broke. You'll have to change back to an older version which uses freeglut. For this, in rai/Gui/Makefile switch the 0/1 for FREEGLUT and GLFW

• Beware ros node names!! (Maybe it is good if everybody uses the same rosNodeName? That way they block each other? Behavior undefined!)