Book Image

ROS Robotics By Example, Second Edition - Second Edition

By : Carol Fairchild, Lentin Joseph, Dr. Thomas L. Harman
Book Image

ROS Robotics By Example, Second Edition - Second Edition

By: Carol Fairchild, Lentin Joseph, Dr. Thomas L. Harman

Overview of this book

ROS is a robust robotics framework that works regardless of hardware architecture or hardware origin. It standardizes most layers of robotics functionality from device drivers to process control and message passing to software package management. But apart from just plain functionality, ROS is a great platform to learn about robotics itself and to simulate, as well as actually build, your first robots. This does not mean that ROS is a platform for students and other beginners; on the contrary, ROS is used all over the robotics industry to implement flying, walking and diving robots, yet implementation is always straightforward, and never dependent on the hardware itself. ROS Robotics has been the standard introduction to ROS for potential professionals and hobbyists alike since the original edition came out; the second edition adds a gradual introduction to all the goodness available with the Kinetic Kame release. By providing you with step-by-step examples including manipulator arms and flying robots, the authors introduce you to the new features. The book is intensely practical, with space given to theory only when absolutely necessary. By the end of this book, you will have hands-on experience on controlling robots with the best possible framework.
Table of Contents (18 chapters)
ROS Robotics By Example Second Edition
Credits
About the Authors
About the Reviewer
www.PacktPub.com
Customer Feedback
Preface
Index

Chapter 6. Wobbling Robot Arms Using Joint Control

Mobile robots are good at getting from one location to another without running into objects around them. Making them even more useful, a robot arm can grasp and manipulate objects in its environment. This chapter features a leading-edge robot that uses its two arms to perform tasks from manufacturing to human assistance and more. The Baxter robot by Rethink Robotics is a collaborative robot that works safely alongside humans without the need for safety precautions. The Gazebo simulated version of Baxter is included in this book for those who do not have access to a real Baxter.

In this chapter, you will be introduced to Baxter in both real and simulated forms. The software for Baxter Simulator will be installed and executed to bring up the Gazebo environment with a Baxter model in it. Baxter's arms will be controlled using a variety of methods: keyboard, joystick, and Python script. Demonstrations of the different types of joint controls...