Mobile robot simulators and their application to hazardous and

challenging environments

IARP/EURON Workshop on Robotics for Risky Interventions and Environmental Surveillance

January 7th-8th, 2008 - Benicàssim (Spain)

L. Nomdedeu, J. Sales, E. Cervera, J. Alemany,R. Sebastia, K. McAllister

Overview

• Introduction

• The Player / Stage / Gazebo tools

• Installation and configuration

• Setting up a scenario

• Conclusion and future work

Introduction: motivation

• Multiple robot platforms and sensors.

• Cross-platform development.

• Reuse of robot software

• Simulation aid:– evaluation of algorithms– training

Introduction: related work

• Mobile platforms:– K-team Khepera– Pioneer / Erratic– Robotnik rescuer

• Robot Development Environments.

• Proprietary versus Open Source.

• Mobile robot simulators.

• 2D versus 3D.

Introduction: list of choices

• Open Source:– Orocos– Player / Stage (2D) / Gazebo (3D)– Carmen– Marie– USARSim (3D)

• Proprietary:– Robot manufacturers– Microsoft Robotics Studio

Player / Stage / Gazebo tools

• Open-Source, cross-platform, active.

• Player robot device interface– N mobile platforms– M sensors– Algorithm drivers (amcl, vfh, ...)

• Tools

• Stage 2D simulator

• Gazebo 3D simulator

Player architecture

Player tools

[Vaughan & Gerkey 07]

Stage 2D simulator

[Vaughan & Gerkey 07]

Stage 2D simulator

[Vaughan & Gerkey 07]

Gazebo 3D simulator

[Vaughan & Gerkey 07]

Installation and configuration

• System requirements:– Standard Linux box– Native Windows version planned

• Installing:– Package distribution– Source compilation– CVS

A Windows solution• Virtualization.• Any host + Linux P/S guest.• Free (not open) Virtual Machine software.• Full-equipped Linux on a CD (or website).• System requirements:

– Non-administrative user account– Modern CPU– 1 GB RAM, 10 GB hard disk

Setting up a scenario• World:

– Bitmap / vector map

• Models:– Mobile platforms– Sensors

• Configuration:– Devices and interfaces– Algorithms

Warehouse fire in 1999 in Worcester (USA)http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/pdf/publications

• Configuration file

• World file

• Map file

Warehouse fire in 1999 in Worcester (USA)http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/pdf/publications

Conclusion and future work

• Player abstraction layer for development.• Player robot device interface.• Stage 2D simulator.• Player algorithm repository.• Installation on any host computer.• Definition of scenarios in Guardians.

Conclusion and future work