UAV exploration in unknown environment and QR detection

Setup Instructions

It is recommended to use Ubuntu 18.04, gazebo-8 and ROS melodic since all the tests have been made on it.

Dependencies Installation

• Download the code in the ROS src folder using

  $  git clone https://github.com/AlessandroMelone/mavros_visp_ompl_exploration.git

• Download jocacace/Firmware and follow the instruction in the related README. Doing this step, when the istructions

  $ cd Firmware && make px4_sitl_default
  $ make px4_sitl_default gazebo

  are meet, you need to generate the sdf file used in this project before to run the above istructions.

  To generate the desired UAV sdf file you need to replace two files:

  • Replace the file model_generation.txt cointained in the folder Firmware/Tools/sitl_gazebo with the file of the same name contained in the folder mavros_visp_ompl_exploration/file_sdf_generation.
  • Replace the file tarot.xacro cointained in the folder Firmware/Tools/sitl_gazebo/models/rotors_description/urdf/tarot with the file of the same name contained in the folder mavros_visp_ompl_exploration/file_sdf_generation.
  • Delete the file tarot.sdf (which will be generated after the following instructions) cointained in Firmware/Tools/sitl_gazebo/models/tarot .

  Now you can run:

  $ cd Firmware && make px4_sitl_default
  $ make px4_sitl_default gazebo

  now continue to execute the instructions in the README of jocacace/Firmware.

• Install the following packages:

  • OMPL: Download the OMPL installation script from this link: https://ompl. kavrakilab.org/install-ompl-ubuntu.sh:

    $ chmod u+x install-ompl-ubuntu.sh
    $ ./install-ompl-ubuntu.sh wil
    $ sudo apt-get install ros-melodic-ompl

  • visp_auto_tracker:

    sudo apt-get install ros-melodic-visp-auto-tracker

Building

Now you are ready to build the code. In your ROS src folder execute:

    $ catkin_make

Fixes

If the building fails then probably the messages needed by the code are not created when the code is compiled. In this case you just need to comment the commands add_executable(...) and target_link_libraries(...) in all the CMakeLists.txt in the mavros_visp_ompl_exploration folder, and repeat the command:

    $ catkin_make

Now the messages files have been created so restore the CMakeLists.txt files and build again.

Running

• To run the code, first of all you have to launch the Gazebo simulation. Before running the simulation you should load the gazebo configuration as explained in jocacace/Firmware README. Run the following istructions:

     $ roscd px4
     $ cd Tools/sitl_gazebo && source load_sitl_conf.sh

  then, you can run the Gazebo simulation in the same command line window using

     $ roslaunch master_pkg tarot.launch 

• And in another command line windows :

     $ roslaunch master_pkg all.launch

Now a menu should appear that allows to start various task.

Tips

If you want to have the Px4 package outside of the src folder of your ROS workspace, you could add at your .bashrc the following:

export ROS_PACKAGE_PATH=$ROS_PACKAGE_PATH:/home/your_user_name/Firmware/

Now to check if all is ok you could execute:

$ roscd px4

And now you should be in the Firmware folder.

Rviz

After the command $ roslaunch master_pkg all.launch will start rviz with as shown by the following image.

After done the command roslaunch master_pkg all.launch will start rviz and will show:

• desired pose pose of the UAV: red arrow.
• velocity command computed by the PID: rviz marker green arrow.
• last path sent by the action client to the action server: green line.

Test

To watch two test with different QR codes positions click the following link: https://youtu.be/9q2p-nuvVdM