RoPod/Tutorials/ROS installation

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Get familiar with ROS

The Robot Operating System (ROS) is a framework for writing robot software. ROS uses concepts like nodes, topics, messages, etc. Get familiar with them by searching on the web. You can start reading at: http://wiki.ros.org/ROS/Concepts

Install basic set of packages

sudo apt-get -y update && apt-get install -y \
	nano \
	vim \
	git \
	mercurial \
	cmake \
	build-essential \
	automake \
	libtool \
	libtool-bin \
	pkg-config \
	wget \
	curl \
	unzip \
	libjsoncpp-dev

Install ROS

ROS have several distributions (versions). Install ROS noetic distribution, which is the one compatible with ubuntu 20.04. Follow the instructions on this webpage. Install the Desktop-Full version. Make sure you follow at least steps 1.1-1.7 in the webpage .

http://wiki.ros.org/noetic/Installation/Ubuntu

To test the installation, run in a terminal the ROS core:

roscore

Then in another terminal you can type:

rostopic list

You should be able to see at least the following:

/rosout
/rosout_agg

Follow basic tutorials for ROS

Get familiar with ROS using the tutorials for beginners available at http://wiki.ros.org/ROS/Tutorials.

Get familiar with catkin workspaces, which will allow you to build a ROS node in the future. Moreover, get familiar on how to run a ros node.

Install ROPOD Basis Software

Clone the main repository with the .rosinstall containing the tree structure of the whole software.

   git clone https://github.com/ropod-project/tree-devpc.git

Switch to feature/tracking branck.

   cd tree-devpc
   git checkout feature/remove_ed_dependency

Open the .rosinstall from the shell just to inspect it.

   gedit .rosinstall

This file is a compilation of other repositories that need to be setup and all together compose the ROPOD software. You can now close it and run the installation script. It will install all the different repositories in your home directory. To install run:

   ./install_software

The ./install_software command makes some changes to your .bashrc file. In order for these changes to take effect, you need to close your terminal and open a new one (if using Terminator, fully close it and open a new instance).

Take a look at the structure of Ropod-repository. All packages were now placed in the ~/ropod-project-software/catkin_workspace/src folder. This folder contains 3 other folders:

• functionalities: Here, all non-standard ros-packages are placed, such as ED, but also packages for localization, navigation, etc.
• platform: Files corresponding to specific platforms located in this folder, while general files for getting the communication with the sensors to work is placed in the robot_common sub-folder
• applications: In order to configure the robot for specific use-cases, all the relevant files are placed here.

Next step is to install the software dependencies, i.e. non standard packages and third party software:

Install Dependencies

First, make sure your system is up-to-date:

   sudo apt-get update
   sudo apt-get upgrade

Then, install all ROS dependencies by running

   cd _catkin_workspace_dir_
   sudo rosdep init
   rosdep update
   rosdep install --from-path . -i -y 

Install other 3-rd party dependencies by running

   sudo apt-get install libbullet-dev libsdl-image1.2-dev libsdl-dev

Next, only of you are a contributor to the private ROPOD repository (you should have already been informed by your coach if you are), install the following packages, otherwise jump to "Compile Software" section.

ROPOD-common lib

   git clone git@git.ropod.org:ropod/ropod_common.git
   sudo mv ropod_common /opt/

Zyre

Install this only to perform experiments together with the fleet management software. On the git-page of Sebastian Blumenthal, a bash script can be found to install the zyre-dependencies:

   cd ~
   wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/blumenthal/ropod-base-cpp/master/install_deps.sh
   chmod 755 install_deps.sh
   sudo ./install_deps.sh --workspace-path=/opt --install-path=/usr/local
   cd /opt
   sudo mkdir ropod
   sudo mv ropod_common/ ropod

Compile Software

The first time you install the files in your computer be sure that the folders ‘build’ and ‘devel’ are removed, as well as the file src/Cmakelists.txt

Then, on the main directory level, run a cmake command to generate the executable files

catkin_make

To do all these actions at once, you can run the alias

clean_build

However a clean build is only necessary twice each time you want to add functionality. At the very beginning after updating the repository and at the end before commiting changes to the repository.

In the next part of the tutorial we are going to see how Matlab and ROS can communicate.