Warehouse Robot Project

ROS2 autonomous warehouse robot system for shelf transportation. The robot navigates to shelves, attaches to them, transports them to shipping areas, and returns to its starting position.

Features

• Autonomous Navigation – Nav2-based path planning with recovery behaviors
• SLAM Mapping – Real-time map building using Google Cartographer
• Shelf Detection – Laser-based detection of reflective shelf legs
• Shelf Manipulation – Lift/lower mechanism for shelf attachment
• Sim/Real Support – Seamless switching between simulation and real robot

Packages

Package	Description
nav2_apps	Main application: warehouse orchestrator + utility scripts for testing
path_planner_server	Nav2 controller, planner, behavior server, and BT navigator
localization_server	AMCL-based localization with map server
map_server	Static map serving (simulation and real-world maps)
cartographer_slam	Google Cartographer SLAM for map creation

Requirements

• ROS2 Humble (or compatible)
• Nav2 stack
• Cartographer ROS
• Python 3

Installation

# Clone into your ROS2 workspace
cd ~/ros2_ws/src
git clone <repository-url> warehouse_project

# Install dependencies
cd ~/ros2_ws
rosdep install --from-paths src --ignore-src -r -y

# Build
colcon build --symlink-install
source install/setup.bash

Usage

1. Create a Map (SLAM)

# Simulation
ros2 launch cartographer_slam cartographer.launch.py use_sim_time:=true

# Real robot
ros2 launch cartographer_slam cartographer.launch.py use_sim_time:=false

2. Localization

# Simulation
ros2 launch localization_server localization.launch.py map_file:=warehouse_map_sim.yaml

# Real robot
ros2 launch localization_server localization.launch.py map_file:=warehouse_map_real.yaml

# With keepout zones
ros2 launch localization_server localization.launch.py map_file:=warehouse_map_keepout_sim.yaml

3. Path Planning

# Simulation
ros2 launch path_planner_server pathplanner.launch.py use_sim_time:=true

# Real robot
ros2 launch path_planner_server pathplanner.launch.py use_sim_time:=false

4. Run Full Warehouse Mission

Run in three separate terminals:

Real Robot:

# Terminal 1: Localization (with keepout zones)
ros2 launch localization_server localization.launch.py map_file:=warehouse_map_keepout_real.yaml

# Terminal 2: Path Planner
ros2 launch path_planner_server pathplanner.launch.py use_sim_time:=false

# Terminal 3: Mission Script
ros2 run nav2_apps move_shelf_to_ship_real.py

Simulation:

# Terminal 1: Localization (with keepout zones)
ros2 launch localization_server localization.launch.py map_file:=warehouse_map_keepout_sim.yaml

# Terminal 2: Path Planner
ros2 launch path_planner_server pathplanner.launch.py use_sim_time:=true

# Terminal 3: Mission Script
ros2 run nav2_apps move_shelf_to_ship.py

Note: Keepout maps include costmap filter zones to prevent the robot from entering restricted areas.

Warehouse Workflow

1. Navigate to loading position – Robot moves to shelf location
2. Detect and approach shelf – Uses laser scan to find reflective shelf legs
3. Position under shelf – Precise alignment using TF transforms
4. Lift shelf – Activates lift mechanism, updates robot footprint
5. Transport to shipping – Navigate with shelf attached
6. Lower shelf – Releases shelf at destination
7. Return to init – Robot returns to starting position

Configuration

Maps

Located in map_server/config/:

• warehouse_map_sim.yaml – Simulation environment
• warehouse_map_real.yaml – Real robot environment
• *_keepout_* variants include costmap filter zones

Navigation Parameters

Located in path_planner_server/config/:

• controller_*.yaml – Velocity controller settings
• planner_*.yaml – Global path planner settings
• recoveries_*.yaml – Recovery behavior settings
• bt_navigator_*.yaml – Behavior tree configuration

Localization

Located in localization_server/config/:

• amcl_config_sim.yaml – AMCL parameters for simulation
• amcl_config_real.yaml – AMCL parameters for real robot

Scripts

Script	Purpose
warehouse_orchestrator.py	Core orchestrator with full ROS2 parameter support
move_shelf_to_ship.py	Configured launcher for simulation
move_shelf_to_ship_real.py	Configured launcher for real robot

Orchestrator Parameters

The warehouse_orchestrator.py is highly configurable via ROS2 parameters. The launcher scripts (move_shelf_to_ship*.py) set environment-specific values:

Parameter Group	Examples
Frame IDs	odom_frame, base_footprint_frame
Waypoints	init_position, loading_position, shipping_position
Motion Control	kp_dist, kp_yaw, v_min, v_max, w_max
Shelf Detection	leg_intensity_threshold, min_points_per_leg
Footprint	footprint_shelf_up, footprint_robot_radius

Utility Scripts (for testing on real robot)

Script	Purpose
approacher.py	Test shelf detection and positioning
footprint_publisher.py	Test dynamic footprint updates

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.