bgc-turtlebot-training

BGC course for commanding a turtlebot to follow movement patterns.

Steps

Make sure you open up your virtual machine (like the pre-workshop slides help you set up!)

1. Open a terminal session by double-clicking on the terminal icon on the desktop.
2. Make sure you're in the home folder by entering cd ~ (change directory).
3. Download the workship code by entering git clone https://github.com/Maidbot/bgc-turtlebot-training.git
4. Navigate into downloaded code by entering cd bgc-turtlebot-training.
5. On the desktop, double-click the Gazebo Playground to launch the simulator.
6. To run the workshop code, enter python main.py. You should see the robot move!
7. You can edit your pattern by entring kate directions.json. Don't forget to save your changes!

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Commands

You can give your robot commands by editing the directions.json file. Commands look like this:

[DRIVE, ROTATE, DURATION]

Driving Speed

DRIVE is one of three values representing backwards, stopped and forwards:

backwards: -1
stop: 0
forwards: 1

Rotation Speed

ROTATE is one of three values representing rotating to the left, moving straight, or rotating to the right:

left:   1
center: 0
right: -1

Duration

DURATION is how long the command should last (in seconds). Try to keep it under 10!

Example

There's an example in the directions.json file you can use.

Here's an explanation of what each line means (everything after the # is a comment, not real code):

{  # This is the start of the file

  "testPattern": # This is the name of a pattern your robot will follow
  [ 
    [0, -1,  1],    # This means "rotate right for 1 second"
    [1,  0, 10],    # This means "drive forwards for 10 seconds"
    [0,  1,  1],    # This means "rotate left for 1 second"
    [1,  1,  2.5]   # This means "drive forwards while rotating to the left for 2.5 seconds"
                    # Make sure the last command does not have a comma (",") at the end! 
  ], 
  
  "myPattern": # This is the name of a pattern your robot will follow
  [  # This is the start of the commands for myPattern
  # Enter your commands here!
  ], # This is the end of the commands for myPattern

}  # This is the end of the file

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make my text bigger? I can't see it!

You can hit ctrl and + at the same time.

Can I copy/paste into the virtual machines?

Sometimes yes, but it depends on your system. You might not be able to.