Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

4TM00 – ROBOT MOTION PLANNING AND CONTROL

Ömür Arslan, Assistant Professor of Robotics

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Robotics

The Future is Robotics!

Sense Plan

Act

2 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

Lecture Topics

• ROS Introduction
• ROS Concepts (Node, Interfaces)
• ROS Communication (Topics, Services, Actions)
• ROS Programming in Python
• Gazebo Simulator

3 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

 Part I - ROS Introduction

4 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

What is ROS?

5 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

ROS Meta-Operating System

6 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

ROS Interface between Hardware & Apps (Software)

7 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

ROS Distributed Computation

Sensor 1 Computer 1 Actuator 1

Sensor 2 Computer 2 Actuator 2

Sensor 3 Computer 3 Actuator 3

Sensor 4 Computer 4 Actuator 4

Sensor n Computer n Actuator n

8 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

Why ROS? It's the fastest way to build a robot!
• Open Source – free and unfettered access to high-quality, fully featured robotics software
• Software Reuse – a growing collection of algorithms for common robot tasks
• Language/OS Independence – support for Python, C++, Lisp on Linux, Windows, OSX
• Distributed Computation – multiple processes running across several different computers
• Easy Prototyping – test ideas in a short time with minimal effort, shorten time to market
• Global Community – code sharing and global software collaboration for robotics

9 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

 ROS2 Hubble Installation

Documentation: [Link]
Installation: [Link]
Configuration: [Link]
Build Tool: [Link]
CORE Instructions: [Link]
Tutorials: [Link]

10 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

 ROS_DOMAIN_ID:
A unique integer ROS2 network identifier

ROS Environment Configuration

between 0 and 101 such that only ROS2
elements on the same domain can discover
and send messages to each other.
ROS_LOCALHOST_ONLY:
Limits ROS2 communication to localhost
$ gedit ~/.bashrc # Custom ROS settings
only if enabled.

# ROS2 Environment Settings

source /opt/ros/humble/[Link]
export ROS_DOMAIN_ID=0
export ROS_LOCALHOST_ONLY=0

# COLCON Settings
source /usr/share/colcon_cd/function/colcon_cd.sh
export _colcon_cd_root=/opt/ros/humble/
source /usr/share/colcon_argcomplete/hook/[Link]

$ printenv | grep ROS # Check ROS settings

11 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

 Tutorials: [Link]

ROS2 Humble Tutorials Guide

12 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

 Part II - ROS Concepts

13 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

 ROS Nodes
ROS Nodes
• are the smallest executables that can exchange data with each
other via topics, services, actions, or parameters with compatible
Quality of Service settings.
• are recommended to have specific modular functionality that can
be easily reusable.

Node Discovery
• When a node is started, it informs other nodes on the same ROS
network (ROS_DOMAIN_ID)
• Nodes periodically broadcast their presence if they are online;
and inform others when they are going offline

[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]

14 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

 ROS Nodes – Command-Line Tools
Commands
• ros2 pkg is a ROS tool for package-related operations
$ ros2 pkg create/executables/list/prefix/xml
$ ros2 pkg <command> --help
• ros2 run starts a package specific executable node
$ ros2 run <package> <node>
$ ros2 run --help
• ros2 node is a ROS tool for displaying node information
$ ros2 node info/list
$ ros2 node <command> --help
• Use Ctrl-C to terminate an active node

[Link]

15 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

ROS Nodes: ros2 run & ros2 node

16 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

 $ sudo apt update
$ sudo apt install ros-humble-turtlesim

ROS Nodes: Example

17 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

 ROS Interfaces
Interfaces
• are data types used for information exchange between nodes
Message
• are combinations of string, integer, float and Boolean variables Node A Communication Node B
• can have nested or array structure based on other messages

Types & Specifications

Message (.msg) Service (.srv) Action(.action)
fieldType1 fieldName1 requestType requestName requestType requestName
fieldType2 fieldName2 --- ---
fieldType3 fieldName3 responseType responseName responseType responseName
---
Commands feedbackType feedbackName
• ros2 interface is a tool for displaying information about ROS interfaces
$ ros2 interface list/package/packages/proto/show
$ ros2 interfaces --help

[Link]

18 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

ROS Interfaces: Example

19 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

 Part III – ROS Communication Types

20 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

 Type Description
Topic Continuous unidirectional data exchange
Service
ROS Communication
One-time request-response data exchange
One-time request-response data exchange
Action
with continuous feedback

Topic Action

Message Communication
(Topics, Services, Actions)

Service

21 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

 ROS Topics
Topics
• Continuous unidirectional data communication.
• From publishers (data producers) to subscribers (data consumers)
• Anonymous messages – a subscriber does not know the publisher
(though this can be discovered if needed).
• Compatible message type and quality of service.

Commands
• ros2 topic is a tool for displaying topic information
$ ros2 topic list/info/type/echo/pub/hz/bw/delay/find
$ ros2 topic <command> --help
• rqt_graph is a tool to visualize node topic communication
$ rqt_graph

[Link]
[Link]
[Link]

22 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

ROS Topics: Example

23 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

ROS Topics: Example

24 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

 ROS Services
Services
• One-time bidirectional request-response communication
• Between a service server and a service client.
• Only one service server per service name but many clients
• Reduce network load due to the request-driven communication
compared to continuous updates and data streams of topics.

Command
• ros2 service a tool for listing and querying ROS services
$ ros2 service list/type/call/find
$ ros2 service <command> --help

[Link]
[Link]

25 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

ROS Services: Example

26 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

ROS Services: Example

27 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

 ROS Actions
Actions
• Built on topics and services
• One-time bidirectional request-response communication with
continuous feedback for long running tasks
• Between an action server and an action client: The action client
sends a goal to the action server that acknowledges the goal and
returns a stream of feedback and a result.
• Possible to cancel a running action request without completion.

Command
• ros2 action a tool for listing and querying ROS services
$ ros2 action list/info/send_goal
$ ros2 action <command> --help

[Link]
[Link]

28 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

ROS Actions: Example

29 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

 ROS Parameters
Parameters
• Configuration values (integers, floats, booleans, strings, and lists) Node
maintained by individual nodes for their settings Parameters
• Composed of a key, a value, and a descriptor (empty by default)
• Declaring all node parameters at the startup is preferred to avoid
misconfiguration, but undeclared parameters are also allowed.
• Parameters can be set at the start via command-line tools, launch files,
and YAML files.

Command
• ros2 param a tool for listing and querying ROS parameters
$ ros2 param list/get/set/dump/load/delete/describe
$ ros2 param <command> --help

[Link]

30 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

ROS Parameters: Example

31 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

 Part IV - ROS Programming

32 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

 To install colcon: $ sudo apt install python3-colcon-common-extensions

Tip: Place your group’s GitLab repository inside the src/ folder.
ROS Workspace
ROS software is developed over a specific workspace structure that can built with colcon
workspace_folder/ -- WORKSPACE
src/ -- SOURCE SPACE
package_1/
[Link]
[Link]
package_1/
src/
…
package_n/
COLCON_IGNORE -- Optional empty file to disable building this package folder
[Link]
[Link]
package_n/
src/
…
build/ -- BUILD SPACE Item Description
COLCON_IGNORE -- Disable building this folder
… [Link] Package build configuration file
install/ -- INSTALL SPACE [Link] Package meta-information file
local_setup.bash -- Settings for sourcing your underlay workspace
[Link] /src
-- Settings for sourcing your ROS overlay and underlay workspace Source folder containing the package source code
COLCON_IGNORE -- Disable building this folder /build Build space that keeps intermediate built files
…
log/ -- LOG SPACE /install Directory where each package is installed to
latest_build -- Log information for the latest colcon build
COLCON_IGNORE --Disable building this folder /log Logging information about each colcon build
…

33 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

[Link] $ sudo rosdep init
[Link]
[Link] $ rosdep update
$ rosdep --help
Creating a ROS Workspace
$ mkdir -p ~/4tm00_ws/src # Create a ROS workspace and source folder
$ cd ~/4tm00_ws # Move to the workspace folder
$ rosdep install –i –-from-path src --ignore-src -y # Resolve and install ROS dependencies
$ colcon build –-symlink-install # Build your workspace with symbolic links

$ source ~/4tm00_ws/install/local_setup.bash # Apply the underlay install settings

34 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

 ROS_DOMAIN_ID:
A unique integer ROS2 network identifier

ROS Environment Configuration

between 0 and 101 such that only ROS2
elements on the same domain can discover
and send messages to each other.

ROS_LOCALHOST_ONLY:
$ gedit ~/.bashrc # Custom ROS settings Limits ROS2 communication to localhost
only if enabled.
# ROS2 Environment Settings
source /opt/ros/humble/[Link]
export ROS_DOMAIN_ID=0
export ROS_LOCALHOST_ONLY=0

# COLCON Settings
source /usr/share/colcon_cd/function/colcon_cd.sh
export _colcon_cd_root=/opt/ros/humble/
source /usr/share/colcon_argcomplete/hook/[Link]

# ROS Workspace Settings

source ~/4tm00_ws/install/local_setup.bash

35 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

ROS Package [Link] [Link] [Link] my_package

Packages
• are the basic units of ROS software
include src scripts config
• should provide easy-to-use and reusable functionality
• might contain ROS nodes, source codes, configuration files,
message types, datasets, etc. launch msg srv action
Commands [Link] Package meta-information file
• ros2 pkg create is a tool to easily create a new ROS package [Link] Build configuration file
$ ros2 pkg create <package_name> [Link] Python installation instructions
$ ros2 pkg create -- help [Link] Python settings for executables
• colcon build is a tool to build a ROS workspace of packages include/ C++ headers & libraries
$ colcon build --help src/ C++ source code
• rosdep is a tool for managing package system dependencies my_package Python module folder
$ rosdep init/update/install/check scripts/ Python executable node scripts
config/ Node configurations (YAML, XML)
$ rosdep --help
bagfiles/ Datasets
msg/ Message files
srv/ Service files
action/ Action files

36 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

 Creating a ROS Package for C++ or Python:
my_first_ros_pkg_cpp & my_first_ros_pkg_py
$ cd ~/4tm00_ws/src # Change to the workspace source folder
$ ros2 pkg create my_first_ros_pkg_cpp –-build-type ament_cmake # Create a CMake ROS package
$ ros2 pkg create my_first_ros_pkg_py –-build-type ament_python # Create a Python ROS package
$ cd ~/4tm00_ws # Change to the workspace folder
$ colcon build # Build your ROS workspace
$ colcon build –-symlink-install # Use symlink instead of copying install files

COLCON_IGNORE
37 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)
[Link]

Creating a ROS Package for C++ and Python:

my_ros_pkg_template
$ cd ~/4tm00_ws/src # Change to workspace source folder
$ ros2 pkg create my_ros_pkg_template --build-type ament_cmake # Create a CMake package
--dependencies rclcpp rclpy std_msgs # with dependencies rclcpp, rclpy, …
$ cd my_ros_pkg_template # Change to package folder
$ touch include/my_ros_pkg_template/cpp_header.hpp # Create an empty C++ header file
$ echo ‘#include “my_ros_pkg_template/cpp_header.hpp"’ > src/cpp_node.cpp # Create a C++ node using the header
$ echo ‘int main(){return 0;}’ >> src/cpp_node.cpp # and returning 0
$ mkdir my_ros_pkg_template # Create python package
$ touch my_ros_pkg_template/__init__.py # Add Python package initialization
$ touch my_ros_pkg_template/my_module.py # Add an empty python package module
$ mkdir scripts # Create python executable script folder
$ echo ‘#!/usr/bin/env python3’ > scripts/py_node.py # Add an empty executable python node
$ echo ‘import my_ros_pkg_template.my_module’ > scripts/py_node.py # Use python module in python node
$ chmod +x scripts/py_node.py # Make python node executable
$ mkdir launch # Create a folder for launch files
$ touch launch/[Link] # Add an empty python launch file
$ mkdir config # Create a configuration folder
$ touch config/[Link] # Add an empty yaml config file
$ cd ~/4tm00_ws # Change to the workspace folder
$ colcon build –-symlink-install # Build ROS workspace

Package Dependencies
• rclcpp (ROS C++ client library)
38 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS) • rclpy (ROS Python client library)
• std_msgs (Standard ROS messages)
[Link]

Creating a ROS Package for C++ and Python:

my_ros_pkg_template
my_ros_pkg_template/
[Link]
[Link]
include/
cpp_header.hpp
src/
cpp_node.cpp
my_ros_pkg_template/
__init__.py
my_module.py
scripts/
py_node.py
launch/
[Link]
config/
[Link]

39 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

[Link]

my_ros_pkg_template/[Link]
my_ros_pkg_template/
[Link]
[Link]
include/
cpp_header.hpp
src/
cpp_node.cpp
my_ros_pkg_template/
__init__.py UPDATE
my_module.py
scripts/
py_node.py
launch/
[Link]
config/
[Link]

40 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

[Link]

my_ros_pkg_template/[Link]
my_ros_pkg_template/
[Link]
[Link]
include/
cpp_header.hpp
src/
cpp_node.cpp UPDATE
my_ros_pkg_template/
__init__.py
my_module.py
scripts/
py_node.py
launch/
[Link]
config/ UPDATE
[Link]

41 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

[Link]

my_ros_pkg_template/[Link]
my_ros_pkg_template/
[Link]
[Link]
include/
cpp_header.hpp
src/
cpp_node.cpp
my_ros_pkg_template/
UPDATE
__init__.py
my_module.py
scripts/
py_node.py
launch/
[Link]
config/
[Link]

42 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

[Link]

my_ros_pkg_template/…
my_ros_pkg_template/
[Link]
[Link]
include/
cpp_header.hpp
src/
cpp_node.cpp
my_ros_pkg_template/
__init__.py
my_module.py
scripts/
py_node.py UPDATE
launch/
[Link]
config/
[Link]

43 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

 Tip: All node scripts should be executable, i.e., chmod +x my_node.py

Adding a ROS Node:

my_ros_pkg_template/scripts/my_publisher.py

DOWNLOAD

$ cd ~/4tm00/src/my_ros_pkg_template/scripts
$ chmod +x my_publisher.py

44 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

 Tip: All node scripts should be executable, i.e., chmod +x my_node.py

Adding another ROS Node:

my_ros_pkg_template/scripts/my_subscriber.py

DOWNLOAD

$ cd ~/4tm00/src/my_ros_pkg_template/scripts
$ chmod +x my_subscriber.py

45 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

 How to deal with so many nodes and terminals

Running my_publisher.py & my_subscribers.py nodes

46 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

 ROS Launch
Launch files
• are a mechanism for starting many nodes all at once.
• enable node configurations and parameter setting at the
start, and composition of multiple launch files.
• are written in the Python, XML, and YAML formats.

Commands
• ros2 launch is a tool for running multiple nodes
$ ros2 launch <package-name> <launch-file>
$ ros2 launch <launch-file>
$ ros2 launch --help
• Use Ctrl-C to terminate an active ros2 launch

[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]

47 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

 CORE Rule of Thumb for ROS Modular Programming!
Every ROS node should have a dedicated launch and config
ROS Launch: Example file for a modular, reusable interface, and documentation.

my_ros_pkg_template/launch/my_publisher_subscriber.launch

48 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

ROS Launch: Example
my_ros_pkg_template/launch/my_publisher_subscriber.launch

49 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

 Do I always need /my_publisher to test /my_subscriber?

ROS Launch: Example

my_ros_pkg_template/launch/my_publisher_subscriber.launch

50 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

 ROS Bags
Bag Files Topic
• use a specific format for storing timestamped ROS message data. Avocado
• are often used for recording from and playing back to ROS topics.
• allow offline developing, testing, and debugging of ROS packages. Topic
• can be played back using simulation time by setting parameter Topic Grapes
Apple
/use_sim_time true.

Commands
• Ros2 bag is a tool for recording and playing back of ROS topics
$ ros2 bag record/play/info
$ ros2 bag --help
• rqt_bag is a visualization tool for bag file data
$ rqt_bag --help

[Link]
[Link]

51 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

 Part V – Gazebo Simulator

52 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

Gazebo – Simulate before you physically build and experiment
• Physics Engines (ODE, DART, Bullet)
• High Fidelity Sensors (IMU, LiDAR, Cameras, Magnetometer)
• Control Plugins (Velocity Control, Ackermann Steering)
• Realistic 3D Environment Rendering (OGRE, Optix)
• Flexible Simulation Descriptions (SDF)
• Many robotics models ([Link])
• Easy ROS Integration (ros_gz_bridge)
• Command-line & Graphical Interface

53 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

Gazebo Fortress Installation

Documentation: [Link]
Installation: [Link]
CORE Instructions: [Link]
Tutorials: [Link]
Library Reference: [Link]
Simulator API: [Link]

54 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

 CORE 4TM00 Software: [Link]

Gazebo – Examples
RoboCyl TurtleBot3

55 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

Summary

• ROS Introduction
• ROS Concepts (Node, Interfaces)
• ROS Communication (Topics, Services, Actions)
• ROS Programming in Python
• Gazebo Simulator

Next Lecture: Robot Programming with ROS

56 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

 Thank you for your attention!

57 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)

Guided Self-Study Exercise
• Go through the lecture slides and the following online ROS2 Humble tutorials ([Link]
• What are the major differences between the lecture slides and online tutorials? Why?

58 Ömür Arslan | 4TM00 | Introduction to Robot Operating System (ROS)