[Estimation] Create iDynTree_Estimation library

[traversaro]

As part of the estimation roadmap, we need to create an library in iDynTree related to Estimation, to collect all estimation algorithms implemented using iDynTree .

This can be created in a estimation directory, and we can copy the CMake structure from another recent component, such as high-level.

Code that I think should be moved or implemented in iDynTree_Estimation includes:

• [x] The simpleLeggedOdometry class , that should be ported to avoid the dependency on YARP, for example using the DynamicsComputations class.
• [x] The TorqueEstimationTree class that should be again ported to avoid the dependency on YARP. In this case it involves more work because we need to create an iDynTree-compatible data structure to store the informations classically contained in a dynContactList.
• [x] The new class that wiil be implemented by @nunoguedelha to compute the quantities required in the Berdy algorithm. For this class we will probably need to expose in the headers classes of type Eigen::SparseMatrix.

[iron76]

What is the situation on this issue? I think we should find out who is responsible for the first point. I was thinking about either @jeljaik or @naveenoid. This is crucial for bringing forward the contact switching demo, right @DanielePucci?

[naveenoid]

I had a skype call with silvio yesterday..Almost finalised the Sensors interface. @jeljaik and I started coordinating on the design to merge with quaternionEKF.

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Naveen Kuppuswamy, PhD Post-doctoral Fellow, Cognitive Humanoids Lab, Department of Robotics, Brain and Cognitive Sciences (RBCS), Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy

On Tue, Oct 13, 2015 at 1:21 AM, Francesco Nori notifications@github.com wrote:

What is the situation on this issue? I think we should find out who is responsible for the first point. I was thinking about either @jeljaik https://github.com/jeljaik or @naveenoid https://github.com/naveenoid. This is crucial for bringing forward the contact switching demo, right @DanielePucci https://github.com/DanielePucci?

— Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub https://github.com/robotology/idyntree/issues/78#issuecomment-147547295.

[DanielePucci]

Yes. Without odometry a foot must be stuck on the ground.

[iron76]

@DanielePucci can you explain better the last comment?

[DanielePucci]

For tracking a CoM trajectory, for instance, we need its measurement w.r.t an inertial frame. Vision along with kinematics/dynamics may be an option. For the time being, we may use a simple odemetry module that takes into account the switching of contacts, as we did for the 2nd year CoDyCo demo. Probably, @traversaro can clarify the work we did on this if further clarifications are needed.

[jeljaik]

@iron76 Regarding the first task I have finished porting this functionality from WBDT to wholeBodyEstimator which is still in a separate branch. The refactoring to avoid the YARP dependency remains for the moment as future work. It is however the first estimator implemented in wholeBodyEstimator.

[iron76]

:+1: Can we then check one of the tasks above?

[traversaro]

The discussed functionality have been introduced in the BerdyHelper and ExtWrenchesAndJointTorquesEstimator classes.