triped_description

This repository contains descriptions and configuration files for the TriPed robot. This includes a URDF of a simplified Robot model (since the TriPed is a hybrid chain it can not be represented using URDF, see here ) as well as rqt configurations for a TriPed GUI:

TriPed-GUI

This package can be used as a TriPed-GUI, with rqt perpectives and a robot visualisation in rviz.

How to use the TriPed GUI

Clone this repo into your catkin workspace src folder.

Robot visualisation in rviz

Execute:
source devel/setup.bash
catkin_make
roslaunch triped_description display.launch

TriPed-GUI in rqt

On a different terminal execute: ./rqt/rqt-bbb-as-master.sh if you are using the Beaglebone, or rqt if you are using a simulation. Load the TriPed-GUI perspective file into rviz.
Start the joint_level_controller on the BeagleBone or use a Simulation of the TriPed.

Some views of the TriPed GUI

This shows the rqt gui, containing a topic monitor, a Message Publisher, a topic plotter and a Runtime Monitor plugin. The Topic monitor has the OK diagnostic message of the right swing joint highlighted. The plotter shows the positions of the left and right swing joints. Using the Message publisher, it is possible to send commands to the joints, as shown here.

This picture shows the startup of the joint level controller. The TriPed-GUI is on the left and the console output of the controller is on the right.

This picture shows the TriPed-GUI and the controller console output on normal operation. The GUI shows, that no errors occurred in the topic monitor.

This picture shows the TriPed-GUI and console output in ERROR state. The hall sensor was disconnected for this picture, to reach the ERROR state. The console output clearly shows the error types occurring and the GUI shows that the diagnostics for the left swing joint have been updated to show the joint in ERROR state. The diagnostic montior plugin however doesn't always work and may need a diagnostic aggregator to work reliably.

Some views of the rviz visualisation

This picture shows the robot visualization in rviz, with the updated TriPed model. Currently a joint_state_publisher is used to manipulate the model. It can be seen to the right. In the future, a ros node using Trip will be reading in the joint states and updating the visualization based on the actual joint readings.

This picture shows how to manipulate the model usign the joint_state_publisher.