scout-exploration

Description

The scout-exploration package is a modified repository designed to test the FAR Planner: Fast, Attemptable Route Planner using Dynamic Visibility Update in real-world environments.

This repository has been tested with the following setup:

• Robot: SCOUT 2.0
• Sensors:
  • Velodyne VLP-16
  • MicroStrain 3DM-GX5-AHRS

State estimation was performed using FAST-LIO2.

Installation

git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/miiiiiryeong/scout-exploration.git
cd scout-exploration/
catkin_make
source devel/setup.bash

Prerequisites

1. Ubuntu 20.04 & ROS Noetic

2. FAST-LIO2

   Follow the FAST-LIO2 Installation Guide

   Setup Before Running FAST-LIO2

   Edit config/velodyne.yaml to configure the following parameters:

   • LiDAR point cloud topic name: lid_topic
   • IMU topic name: imu_topic (supports both internal and external IMUs, 6-axis or 9-axis)
   • Set the parameter timestamp_unit based on the unit of time in the PoindCloud2 rostopic (time for Velodyne, t for Ouster)
   • Line number: scan_line (tested with 16, 32, and 64 lines, not tested with 128 or above)
   • Translational extrinsic: extrinsic_T
   • Rotational extrinsic: extrinsic_R (only supports rotation matrix)

   Note: The extrinsic parameters in FAST-LIO define the LiDAR's pose (position and rotation matrix) in the IMU body frame (i.e., the IMU is the base frame).

3. AHRS ROS Driver

   • GitHub

   • Installation for ROS Noetic

   sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install ros-noetic-microstrain-inertial-driver
   

4. Prerequisites for Autonomous exploration development environment

   sudo apt update && sudo apt install libusb-dev
   

Run

cd src

## 1. Start the Autonomous Exploration Development Environment
roslaunch vehicle_simulator system_real_robot.launch

## 2. Start the FAR Planner
roslaunch far_planner far_planner.launch

## 3. Start the Velodyne ROS Driver
roslaunch velodyne_pointcloud VLP16_points.launch

## 4. SCOUT
## 4.1. CAN to USB setup
rosrun scout_bringup setup_can2usb.bash
## 4.2. Check CAN data
candump can0
## 4.3. CAN Data ROS Node
roslaunch scout_bringup scout_robot_base.launch

## 5. Change cmd_vel's Topic Type (from geometry_msgs::TwistStamped to geometry_msgs::Twist)
cd ~/scout-exploration/scripts
python3 cmd_vel.py

## 6. Start the AHRS ROS Driver
cd && roslaunch microstrain_inertial_driver microstrain.launch

## 7. Start FAST-LIO2
cd FAST-LIO/ && source devel/setup.bash
roslaunch fast_lio mapping_velodyne.launch

Related Resources

1. Sensors & Robot

1.1. Scout 2.0 Manual

The ROS driver is already included as a submodule.

1.2. Velodyne ROS Driver

The ROS driver is already included as a submodule.

2. Autonomous Exploration Development Environment

• GitHub
• Google Homepage

3. FAR Planner

• GitHub