Book Image

Robot Operating System Cookbook

By : Kumar Bipin
Book Image

Robot Operating System Cookbook

By: Kumar Bipin

Overview of this book

This book will leverage the power of ROS with an introduction to its core and advanced concepts through exciting recipes. You will get acquainted with the use of different synchronous and asynchronous communication methods, including messages, services, and actions. You will learn how to use the various debugging and visualization tools used in development and how to interface sensors and actuators with the ROS framework. Firstly, you will get to grips with ROS simulation frameworks, such as Gazebo and RotorS for modeling and simulating any physical robot and virtual environment. You will also cover mobile robotics, micro-aerial vehicles, and robotic arms, which are the leading branches of robotic applications. Robot Operating System Cookbook will also guide you in the development of an autonomous navigation framework for both mobile robots and micro-aerial vehicles. Finally, you will explore ROS-Industrial, an open source project that extends the advanced capabilities of ROS software to manufacturing industries.
Table of Contents (12 chapters)

Introduction

In the previous chapter, we looked into the advanced concepts of the ROS architecture and its functionality, which started with the parameter server, actionlib, pluginlib, and nodelet. Moreover, we also looked at the Gazebo framework and plugin for simulation, along with the ROS TF (transform frame). However, we also started discussing the ROS visualization tool (RViz) and its plugins, which are used for debugging and monitoring.

In this chapter, we will discuss certain concepts and tools used in visualization and debugging. First, we will learn how to debug and profile a ROS node with the GDB debugger and Valgrind.

Consequently, we will look into how to log and visualize ROS messages and observe the ROS computational graph with different severity levels, names, conditions, and throttling options using rqt.

Similarly, in this chapter, we will learn how to plot scalar...