ruralkan / baxter_cpp

Additional Baxter packages for MoveIt, written entirely in C++

baxter_cpp

Note: this repository was renamed from "baxter" to "baxter_cpp" with SDK release v0.7.0 so as to not conflict with Rethink's new "baxter" repository

A C++ version of the Baxter SDK that works along side the Rethink SDK. Currently contains a ros_control implementation of the Baxter controllers, Gazebo simulation, and pick and place MoveIt! code for Baxter.

On going development continues in the development branch and contributors are strongly encouraged to send pull requests and use this code. The master branch of this repository is kept as stable as posible and is continuously integrated using Travis.

Features

• Baxter pick and place with MoveIt!
  • Generate grasps for simple blocks on a table
  • Execute a pick and place routine
  • Works on hardware, Gazebo and in an Rviz visualization
  • Other tools for testing trajectories
• Baxter ros_control position, velocity, or torque trajectory controllers
  • Uses the ros_control joint_trajectory_controller instead of the python trajectory controller that comes with the SDK
• Baxter simulated in Gazebo
  • NOTE: since SDK 0.7.0 release this has not been maintained. There is now an official release with Rethink that might work better
  • Simulated controllers using ros_control
  • Simulated head display
  • Simulated cameras
  • Not implemented yet: sonars or other sensors. Feel free to add!
• Other goodies
  • Baxter's face follows obstacles using the sonars

Additional experimental features are provided in baxter_experimental

Build Status

Branches

• hydro-devel - for current Baxter 0.7.0 SDK software on ROS Hydro. Stable.
• development - latest hydro-devel work is commited here. Unstable.
• groovy-devel-sdk0.6.2 - for Baxter 0.6.2 SDK software on ROS Groovy. Not Maintained or Supported.
• hydro-devel-sdk0.6.2 - for Baxter 0.6.2 SDK software on ROS Hydro. Not Maintained or Supportd.

Prerequisites

• A Baxter with dual parallel electric grippers with SDK v0.7.0 installed, or the desire to see one in simulation
• ROS Hydro on (suggested) Ubuntu 12.04
• Install wstool package

  sudo apt-get install python-wstool
  

Baxter Installation

• Create a catkin workspace if you don't already have one (we recommend a separate one for Baxter)

  mkdir -p ~/ros/ws_baxter/src
  cd ~/ros/ws_baxter/src
  wstool init .
  

• Install Rethink's Baxter SDK as documented below, if you have not already. These instructions can also be found at Installing the Research SDK

  wstool merge https://raw.github.com/RethinkRobotics/baxter/master/baxter_sdk.rosinstall
  

• Install these baxter_cpp packages and update: (note, replaces Rethink's baxter_common with a version that has parallel electric end effectors modeled)

  wstool merge --merge-replace -y https://raw.github.com/davetcoleman/baxter_cpp/hydro-devel/baxter.rosinstall
  wstool update
  

• Source ROS setup and update rosdep if you haven't already

  source /opt/ros/hydro/setup.bash
  rosdep update
  

• Install dependencies and build

  cd ..
  rosdep install --from-paths . --ignore-src --rosdistro hydro -y
  catkin_make
  

  Note: You may need to run this command multiple times if there is a message dependency issue. Please report these bugs in the issue tracker.

• Add Baxter setup.bash to your .bashrc (recommended)

  echo 'source ~/ros/ws_baxter/devel/setup.bash' >> ~/.bashrc
  

Bringup Baxter

Hardware

• Power on baxter

• Ensure you have the correct ROS_MASTER_URI exported, this depends on your robot serial number:

  export ROS_MASTER_URI=http://011305P0009.local:11311
  

  You might also need to set the ROS hostname environment variable if you have not already done so and you have communication issues:

  export ROS_HOSTNAME=128.138.244.72  # REPLACE WITH YOUR COMPUTER'S IP ADDRESS
  

• Bringup ros_control controllers - starts a position-based trajectory controller. See Hardware Control Modes for other control modes

  roslaunch baxter_control baxter_hardware.launch
  

Gazebo Simulation

Note: since Baxter SDK 0.7.0 this has not been maintained

This uses an actual physics engine from the Gazebo Simulator.

• Ensure you have the correct ROS_MASTER_URI exported:

  export ROS_MASTER_URI=http://localhost:11311
  

• Start simulation with controllers:

  roslaunch baxter_gazebo baxter_gazebo.launch
  

  By default, an effort-based trajectory controller is started

Rviz Visualization

This only shows a virtual Baxter in Rviz without any physics simulator. Instead it uses a ros_control hardware interface that simply loops back to itself. Good for testing MoveIt!.

• Ensure you have the correct ROS_MASTER_URI exported:

  export ROS_MASTER_URI=http://localhost:11311
  

• Start visualization:

  roslaunch baxter_control baxter_visualization.launch
  

  Note: you will not see anything when you launch this, only the /robot/joint_states topic starts being published. Proceed to the MoveIt! section, below.

Start MoveIt!

Works with simulation, hardware or visualization:

• Start MoveIt!'s move_group Server:

  roslaunch baxter_moveit_config baxter_moveit.launch
  

Block pick and place demo

Picks small blocks located on a table in front of Baxter and places them to Baxter's left. Assumes perfect perception (doesn't have perception) as defined in custom_environment.h.

roslaunch baxter_pick_place block_pick_place.launch

Hardware Control Modes

This Baxter repository uses ros_control to send trajectories to Baxter via the joint_trajectory_controller. Trajectories can be executed on Baxter in either position mode or velocity mode. You can easily switch between the two - both are loaded at startup but position is started by default:

• Position Control

  Load the position controllers (not loaded by default)

  rosrun controller_manager spawner --stopped position_joint_mode_controller left_position_trajectory_controller right_position_trajectory_controller --namespace /robot &
  

  Start the position controllers and stop the velocity controllers

  rosservice call /robot/controller_manager/switch_controller "{start_controllers: ['position_joint_mode_controller','left_position_trajectory_controller','right_position_trajectory_controller'], stop_controllers: ['velocity_joint_mode_controller','left_velocity_trajectory_controller','right_velocity_trajectory_controller'], strictness: 2}"
  

  Plot position error of position-based trajectory controller

  roslaunch baxter_control joint_position_left_trajectory_controller.launch
  roslaunch baxter_control joint_position_right_trajectory_controller.launch
  

• Velocity Control

  rosservice call /robot/controller_manager/switch_controller "{start_controllers: ['velocity_joint_mode_controller','left_velocity_trajectory_controller','right_velocity_trajectory_controller'], stop_controllers: ['position_joint_mode_controller','left_position_trajectory_controller','right_position_trajectory_controller'], strictness: 2}"
  

  Plot position error of velocity-based trajectory controller

  roslaunch baxter_control joint_velocity_left_trajectory_controller.launch
  roslaunch baxter_control joint_velocity_right_trajectory_controller.launch
  

• Torque Control

  TODO

Test Programs

Send Baxter to random poses using motion planning and obstacle avoidance of a hard-coded planning scene

roslaunch baxter_pick_place random_planning.launch

Send the end effector up and down with a horizontal cartesian path (requires baxter_experimental repository

roslaunch baxter_experimental verticle_approach_test.launch

Programmed Buttons

End Effector Cuff

• Rectangular button: close end effector
• Circular button: open end effector

Back of Robot Shoulders

• Left shoulder button: enable Baxter
• Right shoulder button: disable Baxter

Helpful Aliases

When using Baxter, it is productive to have command shortcuts for diagnosing baxter. These are the ones I use:

Turn on and off

alias be="rostopic pub -1 /robot/set_super_enable std_msgs/Bool True"
alias bd="rostopic pub -1 /robot/set_super_enable std_msgs/Bool False"
alias br="rostopic pub -1 /robot/set_super_reset std_msgs/Empty"
alias bs="rostopic echo -c /robot/state"
alias bsu="rosrun baxter_control sonar_enable.py --enable=0"
alias bsd="rosrun baxter_control sonar_enable.py --enable=1"

Launch scripts

alias bhardware="roslaunch baxter_control baxter_hardware.launch"
alias bm="roslaunch baxter_moveit_config baxter_moveit.launch"
alias bpp="roslaunch baxter_pick_place block_pick_place.launch"

Calibrate/Tare

alias brtare="rosrun tools tare.py -t right"
alias bltare="rosrun tools tare.py -t left"
alias brcalibrate="rosrun tools calibrate_arm.py -c right"
alias blcalibrate="rosrun tools calibrate_arm.py -c left"

Gripper Control

alias brgripperstate="rostopic echo -c /robot/limb/right/accessory/gripper/state"
alias brgrippercal="rostopic pub -1 /robot/limb/right/accessory/gripper/command_calibrate std_msgs/Empty"
alias brgripperres="rostopic pub -1 /robot/limb/right/accessory/gripper/command_reset std_msgs/Bool true"
alias brgripperopen="rostopic pub -1 /robot/limb/right/accessory/gripper/command_release std_msgs/Empty"
alias brgripperclose="rostopic pub -1 /robot/limb/right/accessory/gripper/command_grip std_msgs/Float32 0"
alias blgripperstate="rostopic echo -c /robot/limb/left/accessory/gripper/state"
alias blgrippercal="rostopic pub -1 /robot/limb/left/accessory/gripper/command_calibrate std_msgs/Empty"
alias blgripperres="rostopic pub -1 /robot/limb/left/accessory/gripper/command_reset std_msgs/Bool true"
alias blgripperopen="rostopic pub -1 /robot/limb/left/accessory/gripper/command_release std_msgs/Empty"
alias blgripperclose="rostopic pub -1 /robot/limb/left/accessory/gripper/command_grip std_msgs/Float32 0"

View Cameras

alias brcamera="rosrun image_view image_view image:=/cameras/right_hand_camera/image"
alias blcamera="rosrun image_view image_view image:=/cameras/left_hand_camera/image"

Misc

alias blog="ftp 011305P0009.local"

License

BSD (New BSD License)

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