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

Introducing Baxter


Baxter is a two-armed robot created by Rethink Robotics designed to be a collaborative worker in the manufacturing industry. Each of Baxter's arms has seven degrees of freedom (DOF) and a series of joint actuators, which makes Baxter unique as a manufacturing robot. Baxter's joints are composed of series-elastic actuators (SEAs) that have a spring between the motor/gearing and the output of the actuator. This springiness makes Baxter's arms compliant and capable of detecting external forces, such as contact with a human. This advantage makes Baxter safe to work alongside people without a safety cage. The SEAs also provide greater flexibility for control using the torque deflection as feedback for the control system.

Baxter, shown in the following image, has a number of sensors that enable Baxter to perform many tasks:

  • A 360-degree sonar sensor at the top of Baxter's head

  • A 1024 x 600 pixel screen face with a built-in camera

  • A camera, infrared sensor, and accelerometer on the...