Demos

This GitHub Repository provides templates for the development of ros2_control-enabled robots and a simple simulations to demonstrate and prove ros2_control concepts.

If you want to have a rather step by step manual how to do things with ros2_control checkout ros-control/roscon2022_workshop repository.

What you can find in this repository

This repository demonstrates the following ros2_control concepts:

  • Creating a HardwareInterface for a System, Sensor, and Actuator.

  • Creating a robot description in the form of URDF files.

  • Loading the configuration and starting a robot using launch files.

  • Control of a differential mobile base DiffBot.

  • Control of two joints of RRBot.

  • Implementing a controller switching strategy for a robot.

  • Using joint limits and transmission concepts in ros2_control.

Goals

The repository has two other goals:

  1. Implements the example configuration described in the ros-controls/roadmap repository file components_architecture_and_urdf_examples.

  2. The repository is a validation environment for ros2_control concepts, which can only be tested during run-time (e.g., execution of controllers by the controller manager, communication between robot hardware and controllers).

Example Overview

Example 1: RRBot

RRBot - or ‘’Revolute-Revolute Manipulator Robot’’ - a simple position controlled robot with one hardware interface. This example also demonstrates the switching between different controllers.

Example 2: DiffBot

DiffBot, or ‘’Differential Mobile Robot’’, is a simple mobile base with differential drive. The robot is basically a box moving according to differential drive kinematics.

Example 3: “RRBot with multiple interfaces”

RRBot with multiple interfaces.

Example 4: “Industrial robot with integrated sensor”

RRBot with an integrated sensor.

Example 5: “Industrial Robots with externally connected sensor”

RRBot with an externally connected sensor.

Example 6: “Modular Robots with separate communication to each actuator”

The example shows how to implement robot hardware with separate communication to each actuator.

Example 8: “Using transmissions”

RRBot with an exposed transmission interface.

Quick Hints

These are some quick hints, especially for those coming from a ROS1 control background:

  • There are now three categories of hardware components: Sensor, Actuator, and System. Sensor is for individual sensors; Actuator is for individual actuators; System is for any combination of multiple sensors/actuators. You could think of a Sensor as read-only. All components are used as plugins and therefore exported using PLUGINLIB_EXPORT_CLASS macro.

  • ros(1)_control only allowed three hardware interface types: position, velocity, and effort. ros2_control allows you to create any interface type by defining a custom string. For example, you might define a position_in_degrees or a temperature interface. The most common (position, velocity, acceleration, effort) are already defined as constants in hardware_interface/types/hardware_interface_type_values.hpp.

  • Joint names in <ros2_control> tags in the URDF must be compatible with the controller’s configuration.

  • In ros2_control, all parameters for the driver are specified in the URDF. The ros2_control framework uses the <ros2_control> tag in the URDF.

  • Joint names in <ros2_control> tags in the URDF must be compatible with the controller’s configuration.

Examples