erkoiv / laserscan_to_pointcloud Goto Github PK

This package is written in Python 3.8.10 for ROS Noetic and Ubuntu 20.04 LTS.

cd catkin_ws/src
git clone https://github.com/jackal/jackal.git
git clone https://github.com/jackal/jackal_simulator.git
git clone https://github.com/jackal/jackal_desktop.git
git clone https://github.com/ros-visualization/interactive_marker_twist_server.git

cd ..
rosdep install --from-paths . --ignore-src

catkin_make
source devel/setup.bash

cd src
git clone https://github.com/dperille/jackal_timer

cd ..
catkin_make
source devel/setup.bash

Make sure catkin_ws/src/jackal_timer/scripts/run_trials.py is executable:

chmod +x run_trials.py

In catkin_ws/src/jackal/jackal_navigation/launch/include/amcl.launch file make the following changes:

• Under <arg name="scan_topic" default="$(eval optenv('JACKAL_LASER_TOPIC', 'front/scan'))" /> add

<arg name="initial_pose_x" default="0.0" />
<arg name="initial_pose_y" default="0.0" />
<arg name="initial_pose_a" default="0.0" />

• Replace the three lines under <!-- Initial pose mean --> with

<param name="initial_pose_x" value="$(arg initial_pose_x)" />
<param name="initial_pose_y" value="$(arg initial_pose_y)" />
<param name="initial_pose_a" value="$(arg initial_pose_a)" />

In order to make the time_trial package work with ROS Noetic, in catkin_ws/src/jackal_timer/scripts/traversal_timer.py

replace

!/usr/bin/env python

with

!/usr/bin/env python3

Download the BARN dataset with: wget https://www.cs.utexas.edu/~xiao/BARN/BARN_dataset.zip

Create a folder data in catkin_ws/src/jackal_timer and extract the contents of the download directly into it.

The default stack for the BARN dataset time trials should now be installed

You can test it by opening two terminal windows and starting roscore in one of them.

In the other one navigate into the catkin_ws/src/jackal_timer/scripts folder and run

python3 run_trials.py

NOTE that due to the way University of Texas has structured their stack, exiting the run_trials.py program via Ctrl+C will usually freeze the terminal, and the terminal window must be force closed instead. roscore can be kept running and any finished time trial data will still be available in the time_results.txt file in the package root folder. Otherwise the program will keep running until all time trial worlds have been finished and will then auto-exit.

Navigate to catkin_ws/src and clone the package:

git clone https://github.com/erkoiv/laserscan_to_pointcloud
cd ..
catkin_make

Make sure the laser_assembler package is installed:

sudo apt-get install ros-noetic-laser-assembler

Open catkin_ws/src/jackal_timer/launch/time_trial.launch.

To the end of the file before </launch> add:

  <!-- laserscan to pointcloud -->
  <include file="$(find laserscan_to_pointcloud)/launch/start.launch" />

This will allow the package to start automatically when run_trials.py is executed.

Replace the line

<param name="base_local_planner" value="base_local_planner/TrajectoryPlannerROS"/>

with

<param name="base_local_planner" value=""/>

This will disable the default local planner. An error message will be shown at launch, but this can be ignored.

Now when the simulation launches, the robot will not move, because it is not receiving velocity commands.

Open catkin_ws/src/laserscan_to_pointcloud/scripts/node.py.

You will see a section to initialize the planner before calling it.

The laserscan data comes in the form of an array of ROS point messages, which are sets of x, y, and z coordinates. This array is deconstructed into two arrays containing the x and y coordinates respectively. x[0] will correspond to y[0] and so forth.

In order to drive the robot the planner must output at least a linear (forward) speed, vel_cmd.linear.x and an angular speed vel_cmd.angular.z.

These are then published to the robot.

Because Python is used instead of C++, catkin_make does not need to be called after each change to the file.