BeetleBot - Differential Drive Robot

Welcome to the BeetleBot repository! This repository contains different configurations for the BeetleBot differential drive robot with Gazebo sim. Each branch in this repository represents a unique configuration of the same beetlebot robot in the world it operates in.

Branches Overview

This repository has Two branches, each with a different configuration for the robot and the world.

Below is a summary of the differences between each branch:

1. SDF-format

In this branch beetlebot robot is writen in SDF format and spawnd inside the main world using spawner cmd in the launch file.

2. URDF-format

In this branch beetlebot robot is writen as URDF and spawnd inside the main world using spawner cmd in the launch file.

Features

• Separate Robot Module: Each robot component is defined as a standalone SDF or URDF module for maximum flexibility and reusability.
• Custom World GUI Configuration Plugins: Includes a configurable GUI plugin to tailor the simulation interface to your needs.
• 360° LIDAR Plugin: Provides a simulated LIDAR sensor capable of full 360° scanning for obstacle detection and mapping.
• Differential Drive Plugin: Implements a differential drive controller for robot mobility, ensuring smooth and accurate navigation.
• RGB Camera: Equipped with an RGB camera for visual feedback.
• Position Joint Control: Allows changing the camera angle using position joint control.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

Ensure you have the following:

• ROS 2 Jazzy installed on your system.
• Gazebo Harmonic for robot simulation.

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone --branch <branch-name> https://github.com/KroNton/beetlebot.git
   

   replace <branch-name>with one of the following branches :

   • sdf-format_include-model-world
   • sdf-format_spawn-model-launch
   • urdf-format

2. Build the ROS 2 package:

   colcon build
   

3. Source the setup file:

   source install/setup.bash
   

Running the Robot

To run the robot in the empty world:

ros2 launch beetlebot_gazebo beetlebot_empty_world.launch.py

Controlling the Robot

1. Using gazebo

   • add key publisher to gazebo form top right
   • Use the keyboard arrow keys to move the robot.
   • Press k to stop the robot.

2. Using ROS teleop node

   ros2 run teleop_twist_keyboard teleop_twist_keyboard
   

To run the robot in the warehouse world:

ros2 launch beetlebot_gazebo beetlebot_warehouse.launch.py

To run the robot in the track world:

ros2 launch beetlebot_gazebo beetlebot_track_world.launch.py

Controlling the Camera Angle

You can control the camera angle by publishing to the /camera_angle topic.

Using the Terminal

1. Open a new terminal.
2. Publish a message to the /camera_angle topic to change the camera angle. For example, to set the camera angle to 0.5 radians:

   ros2 topic pub /camera_angle std_msgs/msg/Float64 "{data: 0.5}"
   

Configuration Files

beetlebot_gazebo/config/beetlebot_ros_bridge.yaml

This file configures the ROS-Gazebo bridge for topic communication.

---
- ros_topic_name: "/cmd_vel"
  gz_topic_name: "/cmd_vel"
  ros_type_name: "geometry_msgs/msg/Twist"
  gz_type_name: "gz.msgs.Twist"
  direction: ROS_TO_GZ

- ros_topic_name: "/clock"
  gz_topic_name: "/world/beetlebot_world/clock"
  ros_type_name: "rosgraph_msgs/msg/Clock"
  gz_type_name: "gz.msgs.Clock"
  direction: GZ_TO_ROS
.....

Future Enhancements

• Add more sensor plugins.
• Improve the robot's navigation algorithms.
• Add support for additional simulation environments.

Resources

• ros gz project template

• turtlebot3 simulations new gazebo