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

Summary


In this chapter, we introduced MATLAB and the Robotics System Toolbox and described how to install the toolbox. The toolbox connects MATLAB software and the Robot Operating System.

Baxter the robot simulator, introduced in Chapter 6, Wobbling Robot Arms Using Joint Control, was used with MATLAB to control the simulated Baxter in Gazebo. Before the simulator could connect with Baxter, it was necessary to install a unique set of ROS messages used to communicate with Baxter as described in the section Installing Baxter messages in MATLAB.

Once the messages are installed, Baxter's limbs can be moved with the Robotics System Toolbox commands and the .m files listed in the section Running Baxter Simulator and MATLAB. These files are found on the book's website.

For more information about the Robotics System Toolbox, see the excellent webinar Developing Robotics Applications with MATLAB, Simulink, and Robotics System Toolbox by Carlos Santacruz-Rosero of MathWorks at the website:

https://www...