Robotics lab (221LIA001) : Lab work

Lab 1 : 30/09/24

• Ubuntu 20.04 LTS installation
  • Ubuntu desktop install
• Ubuntu/Linux basics
  • Basic commands -Ubuntu command line tutorial
  • Linux File System/Structure Explained -Linux File System/Structure
• ROS basics
  • ROS installation basics

Lab preparation session : 03/10/24

• Install ROS on Windows 11 using Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL2)
  • Installing Ubuntu 20.04 LTS on Windows using WSL2
  • Installing ROS Noetic on Ubuntu
• Setting up ROS environment on your PC -Setting up ROS environment on your PC
• Navigating the ROS Filesystem -Navigating the ROS Filesystem

Lab 2 : 07/10/24

• Completing ROS installation and remaining tasks from lab 1
• ROS basics
• Navigating the ROS Filesystem -Navigating the ROS Filesystem
• CMake basics
• Creating a ROS workspace
• Python basics -PyFlo - A Free, Interactive Guide to Python Programming

Lab 3 : 14/10/24

• Understanding ROS Nodes
  -ROS nodes
  Learn about ROS nodes, topics, ROS commands - roscore, rosnode, rosrun - Understanding ROS Topics
  -ROS topics
  -video demo
• Create a new package named lab3_sub_pub in the src folder of your catkin_ws. The package dependencies are std_msgs and rospy
  -Video demo - Creating ROS package using catkin_create_pkg command
• Simple Publisher and Subscriber
  -Simple Publisher and Subscriber
  -Examining the Simple Publisher and Subscriber
  -A ROS publisher node - line by line commented
  -A ROS subsriber node line by line commented

Preparatory work (To be completed by all students before lab 4)

• GitHub fundamentals
  -GitHub Tutorial - Beginner’s Training Guide
  -installing git on Ubuntu 20.04
  -Git Tutorial for Beginners: Command-Line Fundamentals

Lab 4 : 21/10/24

• Service and Client nodes
  -Basics of ROS Service-Client (Video )
  -Simple Service and Client nodes
  -Examining the Simple Service and Client
  -Changes to be made in CMakeLists.txt and package.xml files of the Service-Client package
  -Summary of changes to be made to CMakeLists.txt and package.xml
  -ROS Service - Server node (coding) Video tutorial
  -ROS Service - Client node (coding) Video tutorial

Lab 5 : 28/10/24

• turtlesim
  -Getting Started with Turtlesim
  -Understanding ROS using Turtlesim by Prof. Madhur Behl
  -Madhur Behl, University of Virginia
  -Tutorials Using Turtlesim Scroll to the bottom of the page to find the tutorials
  - Control the turtle with rqt_robot_steering GUI `rosrun rqt_robot_steering rqt_robot_steering`
• Launch files
  -launch files - Chapter from the book ‘A Gentle Introduction to ROS’ link 2
  -Launch multiple nodes using launch file (Video tutorial)

Lab 6 : 4/11/24

• URDF
  -How do we describe a robot? With URDF!
  -Create a visual model of a robot that you can view in Rviz
• Mobile robot URDF
  -Creating urdf model of a robot (Video demonstration)
  -Adding Physical and Collision Properties to a URDF Model
  -Using Xacro to Clean Up a URDF File
  -ROS mobile robot URDF , Xacros with Meshes(Video demonstration)

Lab 7 : 11/11/24

• ROS serial link for Arduino
  - Familiarizartion with Arduino
  - Configure VS Code for rosserial_arduino
  - Hello ROS serial node running on Arduino - DC motor interfacing with ROS serial
  • Experiments to be done :
    1. Hello ROS serial node running on Arduino
    2. Led blinking and displaying led status on serial terminal

Lab 8 : 18/11/24

• Lab Viva

• Gazebo
  Gazebo is an open-source 3D robotics simulator
  Read and understand the gazebo ros documentation in the two links below before you install gazebo
  -Which combination of ROS/Gazebo versions to use
  -Installing gazebo_ros_pkgs (ROS 1)

  -Create a gazebo world for the mobile robot you built in lab 6
  Building a Gazebo world

  Navigate your mobile robot (Lab 6 work) in the gazebo world
  To navigate your mobile robot in the gazebo world you may need to install additional controllers and packages (as given below)
  sudo apt-get install ros-kinetic-noetic-ros-pkgs ros-noetic-gazebo-ros-control ros-noetic-ros-control ros-noetic-ros-controllers
  Additional references:
  -Teleop twist keyboard
  -Steer drive controller

Lab 9 : 25/11/24

• Lab Viva
• MoveIt
  MoveIt is an open-source robotic manipulation platform that allows you to develop complex manipulation applications using ROS
  -A sample Moveit application
  -MoveIt tutorials
  MoveIt tutorials for Noetic are Not available at this link as on November 25, 2024.