rosbot-xl-autonomy

A step-by-step guide for the ROSbot XL to map an unknown environment and navigate autonomously within it from Rviz.

Repository Setup

This repository contains the Docker Compose setup for both PC and ROSbot XL. You can clone it to both PC and ROSbot XL, or use the ./sync_with_rosbot.sh script to clone it to your PC and keep it synchronized with the robot

git clone https://github.com/husarion/rosbot-xl-autonomy
cd rosbot-xl-autonomy 
export ROSBOT_ADDR=10.5.10.123 # Replace with your own ROSbot's IP or Husarnet hostname
./sync_with_rosbot.sh $ROSBOT_ADDR

Flashing the ROSbot's Firmware

To flash the Micro-ROS based firmware for STM32F4 microcontroller responisble for low-level functionalities of ROSbot XL, execute in the ROSbot's shell:

docker stop rosbot-xl microros 2>/dev/null || true && \
docker run --rm -it --privileged \
--mount type=bind,source=/dev/ttyUSBDB,target=/dev/ttyUSBDB \
husarion/rosbot-xl:humble \
flash-firmware.py -p /dev/ttyUSBDB

Choosing the Network (DDS) Config

Edit net.env file and uncomment on of the configs:

# =======================================
# Network config options (uncomment one)
# =======================================

# 1. Fast DDS + LAN
# RMW_IMPLEMENTATION=rmw_fastrtps_cpp

# 2. Cyclone DDS + LAN
RMW_IMPLEMENTATION=rmw_cyclonedds_cpp

# 3. Fast DDS + VPN
# RMW_IMPLEMENTATION=rmw_fastrtps_cpp
# FASTRTPS_DEFAULT_PROFILES_FILE=/husarnet-fastdds.xml

# 4. Cyclone DDS + VPN
# RMW_IMPLEMENTATION=rmw_cyclonedds_cpp
# FASTRTPS_DEFAULT_PROFILES_FILE=/husarnet-fastdds.xml
# CYCLONEDDS_URI=file:///husarnet-cyclonedds.xml

VPN connection

If you choose to use the VPN option, both your ROSbot XL and laptop must be connected to the same Husarnet network.

If they are not, follow this guide:

Connecting ROSbot and Laptop over the Internet (VPN).

Verifying Hardware Configuration

To ensure proper hardware configuration, review the content of the .env file and select the appropriate LIDAR baudrate and serial port. The hardware configuration is defined as follows:

# =======================================
# Hardware config
# =======================================
LIDAR_SERIAL=/dev/ttyUSB1

# for RPLIDAR A2M8 (red circle around the sensor):
# LIDAR_BAUDRATE=115200
# for RPLIDAR A2M12 and A3 (violet circle around the sensor):
LIDAR_BAUDRATE=256000

The default options should be suitable.

I. Running on a Physical Robot

ROSbot 2R

Pull the Docker images defined in compose.yaml:

docker compose pull

Option 1: SLAM Mode

To start a mapping mode

SLAM_MODE=slam docker compose up -d

Option 2: Localization Mode

To allow the ROSbot XL to localize on a previously created map using AMCL, run:

SLAM_MODE=localization docker compose up -d

Note: You do not need to stop the containers to switch between modes.

Stopping the Containers

docker compose down

PC

To initiate a user interface and navigation stack based on Rviz, execute these commands on your PC:

xhost +local:docker && \
docker compose -f compose.pc.yaml up

To direct the robot to explore new areas autonomously and create a map (in the slam mode) or simply to position itself within an existing map, click on the [2D Goal Pose] button in rviz. It is important to note that when switching from slam to localization mode, you should use the [2D Pose Estimate] button in Rviz to inform the robot of its location on the map.

---

II. Simulation

Prerequisites

The compose.sim.gazebo.yaml file uses NVIDIA Container Runtime. Make sure you have NVIDIA GPU and the NVIDIA Container Toolkit installed.

Gazebo

Start the containers in a new terminal:

xhost +local:docker && \
SLAM_MODE=slam docker compose -f compose.sim.gazebo.yaml up

To direct the robot to explore new areas autonomously and create a map (in the slam mode) or simply to position itself within an existing map, click on the [2D Goal Pose] button in rviz. It is important to note that when switching from slam to localization mode, you should use the [2D Pose Estimate] button in Rviz to inform the robot of its location on the map.