README.md

Launch Files

1. davinci_core_bringup.launch.py

This launch file initializes the da Vinci core robot simulation with ROS 2 controllers, suitable for simulation and integration with other ROS 2 nodes.

Purpose

• Launches the robot description and state publisher.
• Starts the ROS 2 control node with the specified controllers.
• Spawns the joint state broadcaster and position controllers.
• Runs a custom joint controller node for the da Vinci core.
• Launches RViz 2 with a pre-configured view.

Nodes Launched

1. Robot State Publisher (robot_state_publisher)

   • Publishes the robot's state (joint states and transforms) based on the URDF description.
   • Parameters:
     • robot_description: The robot's URDF model.
     • publish_robot_description: True
     • use_sim_time: True

2. Controller Manager (ros2_control_node)

   • Manages the controllers for the robot using the ROS 2 control framework.
   • Parameters:
     • Controller configuration from davinci_core.controllers.yaml.
     • use_sim_time: True

3. Joint State Broadcaster (joint_state_broadcaster)

   • Publishes the state of all joints in the robot.
   • Loaded via the spawner executable.
   • Parameters:
     • use_sim_time: True

4. Forward Position Controller (forward_position_controller)

   • Controls the positions of the robot's joints.
   • Loaded via the spawner executable.

5. Custom Joint Controller (davinci_core_joint_controller)

   • A custom node specific to controlling the da Vinci core joints.
   • Parameters:
     • use_sim_time: True

6. RViz 2 (rviz2)

   • Visualizes the robot in a 3D environment.
   • Launches after the joint state broadcaster has started.
   • Uses a pre-configured RViz configuration file davinci_core_description.rviz.

Configuration Files

• Robot Description (daVinci.urdf.xacro)

  • Located at urdf/daVinci.urdf.xacro.
  • Defines the robot's physical and visual properties using Xacro macros.

• Controller Configuration (davinci_core.controllers.yaml)

  • Located at config/davinci_core.controllers.yaml.
  • Specifies the controllers to be loaded and their parameters.

Usage

To launch the da Vinci core robot with controllers:

ros2 launch davinci_core_description davinci_core_bringup.launch.py

File Contents

• Launch File: launch/davinci_core_bringup.launch.py
• RViz Configuration: rviz/davinci_core_description.rviz
• Custom Joint Controller Source: src/davinci_core_joint_controller.cpp

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2. view_robot.launch.py

This launch file allows you to visualize the da Vinci core robot and manually manipulate its joints using a GUI.

Purpose

• Launches the robot description and state publisher.
• Starts the Joint State Publisher GUI for manual joint control.
• Launches RViz 2 with a pre-configured view.

Nodes Launched

1. Robot State Publisher (robot_state_publisher)

   • Publishes the robot's state based on the URDF description.
   • Parameters:
     • robot_description: The robot's URDF model.

2. Joint State Publisher GUI (joint_state_publisher_gui)

   • Provides a graphical interface to manipulate the robot's joint states.
   • Allows you to adjust joint angles and see the effect in real-time.

3. RViz 2 (rviz2)

   • Visualizes the robot in a 3D environment.
   • Uses the pre-configured RViz configuration file davinci_core_description.rviz.

Configuration Files

• Robot Description (daVinci.urdf.xacro)

  • Located at urdf/daVinci.urdf.xacro.

• RViz Configuration (davinci_core_description.rviz)

  • Located at rviz/davinci_core_description.rviz.

Usage

To visualize the da Vinci core robot and manipulate joints via GUI:

ros2 launch davinci_core_description view_robot.launch.py

File Contents

• Launch File: launch/view_robot.launch.py