Robotic Arm Simulation with ROS2 Humble

Table of Contents

• Project Description
• Features
• Prerequisites
• Installation
• Usage
  • Launching the Simulation and controlling the robotic arm
• Architecture
• Technologies Used
• Contributing
• Documentation
• License

Project Description

This project simulates and controls a robotic arm using ROS2 Humble, Gazebo, and MoveIt2. The robotic arm is defined using URDF (Unified Robot Description Format) and is capable of executing planned trajectories within a simulated environment. The simulation integrates ROS2 control with MoveIt2 for advanced motion planning and trajectory execution. Additionally, the robotic arm is controlled using a camera and ArUco markers placed on the robot, workspace, and objects, enabling precise object pick and place operations through image processing and computer vision techniques.

Features

• Simulation Environment: Realistic simulation using Gazebo.
• Motion Planning: Advanced trajectory planning with MoveIt2.
• Control Mechanism: Camera-based control using ArUco markers.
• Object Manipulation: Pick and place objects within the simulated workspace.
• Camera Calibration: Accurate camera setup for reliable image processing.
• Modular Design: Integration of Python and C++ for flexibility and performance.

Prerequisites

• Operating System: Ubuntu 22.04
• ROS2 Distribution: ROS2 Humble
• Simulation Environment: Gazebo
• Motion Planning: MoveIt2
• Additional Tools:
  • meshlab for mesh processing

Installation

Using Debian/Ubuntu

1. Update Package Lists

   sudo apt update && sudo apt install curl -y
   sudo curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ros/rosdistro/master/ros.key | sudo apt-key add -
   sudo sh -c 'echo "deb http://packages.ros.org/ros2/ubuntu $(lsb_release -cs) main" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ros2.list'
   sudo apt update

2. Install ROS2 Humble and Required Packages

   sudo apt-get install -y \
       libgeometric-shapes-dev \
       meshlab \
       ros-humble-diagnostic-updater \
       ros-humble-gazebo-ros-pkgs \
       ros-humble-gazebo-ros2-control \
       ros-humble-joint-state-broadcaster \
       ros-humble-joint-state-publisher \
       ros-humble-joint-trajectory-controller \
       ros-humble-moveit \
       ros-humble-ros-base \
       ros-humble-ros2-control \
       ros-humble-ros2-controllers \
       ros-humble-ros2bag \
       ros-humble-rqt \
       ros-humble-rqt-graph \
       ros-humble-rviz2 \
       ros-humble-tf2-tools \
       ros-humble-xacro

3. Clone the Repository

   git clone https://github.com/ABMI-software/Robot5A-Simulation.git ~/Robot5A-Simulation

4. Build the Workspace

   cd ~/Robot5A-Simulation
   source /opt/ros/humble/setup.bash
   rosdep update
   rosdep install --from-paths src --ignore-src -r -y

   colcon build

5. Source the Workspace

   source install/setup.bash

6. Export the settings

   export QT_QPA_PLATFORM=xcb

7. Write to bashrc for automatic export and source when launching the terminal

   echo "source /opt/ros/humble/setup.bash" >> ~/.bashrc
   echo "source /usr/share/gazebo/setup.bash" >> ~/.bashrc
   echo "source ~/Robot5A-Simulation/install/setup.bash" >> ~/.bashrc
   echo "export QT_QPA_PLATFORM=xcb" >> ~/.bashrc

Rebuild your Project

1. Build Clean

   cd ~/Robot5A-Simulation
   rm -rf build install log
   source /opt/ros/humble/setup.bash
   colcon build --symlink-install --cmake-clean-cache

Using Docker and dosh

Alternatively, you may consider using Docker and the wrapper dosh.

1. Install docker

   Follow its documentation.

2. Manage Docker as a non-root user

   Follow its documentation.

   sudo groupadd docker
   sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
   newgrp docker

3. Install dosh

   Follow its README.

   git clone https://github.com/gportay/dosh.git ~/dosh
   cd ~/dosh
   make user-install

4. Run an interactive docker shell

   dosh

5. Enter any commands from the shell

   The commands are run in the container, with the user credential, the current directory bind mounted, and few other things (see doshrc). The image is based on the official docker image ros:humble-ros-base from dockerhub, it is currently derived from Ubuntu Jammy (22.04).

Note: The run-command file .bashrc sources the necessary bits so it is unecessary to source the files /opt/ros/humble/setup.bash and install/setup.bash manually.

Usage

Launching the Simulation and controlling the robotic arm

Start the Gazebo simulation environment with the robotic arm using MoveIt.

source /opt/ros/humble/setup.bash
source /usr/share/gazebo/setup.bash
source install/setup.bash
ros2 launch robot_control visual_sim.launch.py 

N.B. : It's also possible to control the arm using rviz2

Architecture

The project is structured into several key components:

• URDF Definition: Defines the physical and visual properties of the robotic arm.
• ROS2 Control: Manages the hardware interfaces and controllers for joint movements.
• MoveIt2 Integration: Handles motion planning and trajectory execution.
• Gazebo Simulation: Provides a realistic environment for testing and development.
• Camera and ArUco Markers: Facilitates precise control and object tracking through computer vision.
• Python and C++ Nodes: Implements control logic, image processing, and communication between components.

Technologies Used

• ROS2 Humble: Robot Operating System for middleware and communication.
• Gazebo: Simulation environment for robotics.
• MoveIt2: Motion planning framework.
• URDF: Robot description format.
• Python: Scripting and automation.
• C++: Performance-critical components.
• OpenCV: Image processing and computer vision.
• ArUco: Marker-based tracking.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please follow these steps:

1. Fork the Repository and fork it

   Create a new fork.

2. Enter the sources

   cd ~/Robot5A-Simulation

3. Create a Feature Branch

   git checkout -b feature/YourFeature

4. Commit Your Changes

   git commit -m "Add your feature"

5. Push to the Branch

   git push origin feature/YourFeature

6. Open a Pull Request

   Open a pull request

Documentation

All C++ nodes created under robot control package are documented using Doxygen check the docs/html/index.html for an interactive code docs

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

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Developed by Eliott, Omar & Matthieu - ABMI Groupe