Teaching robotics with jderobot

Jderobot has been used since 2006 for teaching robotics in four courses (Robótica-ITIS, Introducción a la Robótica, Robótica-Master and Visión en robótica).

2012-2013 courses

If you want to install jderobot you have two modes of operation: with .deb packages or manually.

Installing Gazebo

First at all, yo need to check if your graphics works fine. Install

sudo apt-get install mesa-utils

Execute the glxgears program

glxgears

If the program execute without problems you can continue reading this tutorial, in other case please check and install your graphics card.

Ubuntu 12.04

Configure in your computer to accept software from packages.osrfoundation.org.

sudo sh -c 'echo "deb http://packages.ros.org/ros/ubuntu precise main" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ros-latest.list'
sudo sh -c 'echo "deb http://packages.osrfoundation.org/gazebo/ubuntu precise main" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/gazebo-latest.list'

Repository keys

wget http://packages.ros.org/ros.key -O - | sudo apt-key add -
wget http://packages.osrfoundation.org/gazebo.key -O - | sudo apt-key add -

Update the package and install Gazebo

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install gazebo

Configurate Gazebo

echo "source /usr/share/gazebo/setup.sh" >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Now you can execute Gazebo

gazebo

Debian

Install the prerequisites package

 sudo apt-get install build-essential libtinyxml-dev libtbb-dev libxml2-dev libqt4-dev pkg-config libprotoc-dev libfreeimage-dev libprotobuf-dev protobuf-compiler libboost-all-dev freeglut3-dev cmake libogre-dev libtar-dev libcurl4-openssl-dev libcegui-mk2-dev libswscale-dev libavformat-dev libavcodec-dev 

Download Gazebo from here.

mkdir build
cd build 
cmake .
make -j
<PRE>

Configurate Gazebo:

<PRE>
>> echo "source /usr/local/share/gazebo/setup.sh" >> ~/.bashrc

Modify the next file:

sudo gedit /usr/local/share/gazebo/setup.sh

and add the next line to the file:

export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/local/lib/gazebo-1.4/plugins:/usr/local/lib/:${LD_LIBRARY_PATH}

Reload ~/.bashrc

source ~/.bashrc

Modify /etc/hosts

sudo gedit /etc/hosts

Comment the line that contains ::1 with #

Now you can execute Gazebo

gazebo

Necessary files

First at all, install the prerequisite package:

sudo apt-get install libglademm-2.4-dev libgnomecanvas2-dev libgnomecanvasmm-2.6-dev libgtkglextmm-x11-1.2-dev libgtkmm-2.4-dev libgtkgl2.0-dev libgtk2.0-dev jderobotlib-* jderobot-opencv freeglut3-dev cmake

IMPORTANT!!!

Check you gcc and g++ version. The required version is 4.4

gcc -version
g++ -vesion

If your version is different, please configure gcc and g++

sudo apt-get install gcc-4.4 g++-4.4

sudo rm -r /usr/bin/gcc
sudo rm -r /usr/bin/g++

sudo ln -s /usr/bin/gcc-4.4 /usr/bin/gcc
sudo ln -s /usr/bin/g++-4.4 /usr/bin/g++

Models and worlds

Unzip the models file and put the files in in ~/.gazebo/models. This file contains the necessary information to create the differents world.

models

World are in GazeboServer .zip package shown in the next section. You have some worlds: "jaramaSigueLineas.world" for the Jarama world, "jaramaSigueLineasLigero.world" for a ligther world of Jarama, "reconstruccion.world" for the 3D reconstruction world, and "departamental2.world" for the Departamental 2 world.

Reconstruct in 3D	Follow the line

GazeboServer

To connect JdeRobot with gazebo is necessary to compile GazeboServer. Download gazeboserver. Unzip the file and user the terminal to access the build directory

cd <YOUR UNZIP DIRECTORY>/GazeboServer/build

cmake ..
make 

If all is correct now you have the necessary dynamic libraries to connect JdeRobot with Gazebo. Now launch a simple worl

cd <YOUR UNZIP DIRECTORY>/GazeboServer/build

gzserver ../pioneer2dxJde.world

If you want to see the world execute in other terminal

gzclient

Code Introrob

introrob is the component where you are going to code the behavior of your robot. The file you have to modify is MyAlgorithms.cpp

cd <YOUR UNZIP DIRECTORY>/introrob/build
cmake ..
make 

MyAlgorithm.cpp contains tow functions: RunNavigationAlgorithm and RunGraphicsAlgorithm. In the first function you have to access to the sensor of the robot and indicate to the actuators which linear velocity or angular velocity have to take the robot.

Installing with .deb packages (32 bits systems)

You have an installation manual right here. Please, follow that steps carefully.

Manual installation

If you don't have an Ubuntu 12.04 nor Debian Wheezy, both of them of 32 bits, you have to install it mannualy. This way, more complex than the first one, is capable of install jderobot in whatever Linux you have in your computer. The manual of jderobot is right here, but if you don't want to read it, here you have some pointers to do it quickly. First of all, you yave to download the svn repository of jderobot:

svn co http://svn.jderobot.org/jderobot/

Then, install the previous recommended libraries, as explained here.

Now, you have to install some tools needed in gazeboserver and introrob. Please, follow the steps for install ICE Middleware, GearBox, OpenCV 2.3.1, Gtkmm 2.4 and LibGlade 2.4.

For every jderobot component/tool you have to compile and build it as follows:

• Set your working directory in the component, for example: ~/jderobot/trunk/src/components/my_component

cd ~/jderobot/trunk/src/component/my_component

• Compile it

cd build
cmake .

• Build it

make

• And that's it! An executable file has been generated in the component directory, so you can execute it as follows:

cd .. (in order to put your working directory on ~/jderobot/trunk/src/components/my_component)
./my_component --Ice.Config=my_conf_file.cfg

This last line doesn't apply to gazeboserver because this component is special.

Gazebo

You can install Gazebo simulator as explained in the manual. Please, note that the latest version available of Gazebo tested in jderobot is 1.4; installing later versions of it may cause problems (they are not tested yet).

gazeboserver

To install gazeboserver you have to follow the steps explained before. If you want more information about how to use it and which things you can do with it, follow this link.

introrob

To install introrob you have to follow the steps explained before. If you want more information about how to use it and which things you can do with it, follow this link.

Important notes

• If you are getting some errors trying to launch Gazebo simulator, like these:

Error [Plugin.hh:100] Failed to load plugin libmotors.so: libmotors.so: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory
Error [Plugin.hh:100] Failed to load plugin libpose3dencoders.so: libpose3dencoders.so: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory
Error [Plugin.hh:100] Failed to load plugin libencoders.so: libencoders.so: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory

Msg Connected to gazebo master @ http://localhost:11345
Error [Plugin.hh:100] Failed to load plugin liblaser.so: liblaser.so: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory
Error [Plugin.hh:100] Failed to load plugin libcamera_dump.so: libcamera_dump.so: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory
Error [Plugin.hh:100] Failed to load plugin libcamera_dump.so: libcamera_dump.so: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory

These messages means that it is impossible for Gazebo to find that plugins. You have to modify the /usr/local/share/gazebo-1.X.X/setup.sh file. You have to add:

:/usr/local/share/gazebo-jderobot/plugins/pioneer2dxJde

to the line related with GAZEBO_PLUGIN_PATH. Then, you have to type:

source ~/.bashrc

and launch Gazebo. These errors may be fixed.

• Configuration files are tested to work fine, that is to say, if you want to execute gazebo + gazeboserver + introrob to test it, you can launch it all with its default configuration files. Take care of modifying these files, located at /usr/local/share/jdreobot/conf.

2011-2012 courses

Installing and setting up the environment

• Install jderobot 5.0 from debian packages. You may follow the directions here. It will install the Gazebo 3D simulator (release 0.9) and some useful libraries in your machine.
• Unpack this tarball with the source code of the teaching environment. It includes interfaces for access to sensors and actuators, two software components (gazeboserver and introrob) and configuration files:

$ tar -zxvf curso2012-4.5.tgz

will do the magic

• (1) Compile the interfaces that will be used by following components
• (2) Compile the gazeboserver component and generate its executable file
• (3) Compile the introrob component and generate its executable file

$ cd curso2012-4.5
$ make

• This 'make' command will do the mentioned (1)(2) and (3) steps

Launching the environment

• Launching gazebo simulator

$ cd curso2012-4.5/gazebo-0.9-config/worlds
$ gazebo depar2.world

• Starting gazeboserver component

$ cd curso2012-4.5/components/gazeboserver
$ ./gazeboserver --Ice.Config=./gazeboserver.cfg

• Running introrob component

$ cd curso2012-4.5/components/introrob
$ ./introrob --Ice.Config=./introrob.cfg

Writing and testing your own code

• Modify the "curso2012-4.5/components/introrob/MyAlgorithms.cpp" file with your favourite editor
• Compile the introrob component and generate its executable file
• Launch the environment

Greatest hits

These are some practices done by the students:

Visual follow-line behavior

The students programmed a reactive navigation algorithm for the simulated Pioneer robot (in Gazebo simulator) that only uses images from the robot onboard camera to navigate and follows the red line. They modified the introrob Jde schema. No encoders were used.

VFF Local navigation

Local navigation using Virtual Force Field (VFF) algorithm. The students programmed a simulated Pioneer robot (in Stage simulator) endowed with encoders and laser scanner. They modified the introrob Jde schema. The human user provides local destinations to the robot clicking on the shema GUI.

Robot Races in Stage

Robot races using an hybrid local-global navigation algorithm. Students programmed a simulated Pioneer robot (in Stage simulator) to complete as fast (and safe) as possible one lap to the Cheste circuit. They competed alone against the clock and in pairs, with two robots at the same time in the road, pushing the limits of their navigation algorithms. The robots use encoders and laser readings.

The cat and the mouse

Robot Races in Gazebo

The circuit is just the Departamental-II building, with no red help-line drawn in the floor. The only permitted sensor is the camera, no laser allowed.

Gazebo worlds used in teaching robotics

Follow line with Jarama world

Departamental II world

If you want to use these worlds and more, you can find them here, with their own textures and models.