Notes

• Platform versions: ROS Melodic, Ubuntu 18, Gazebo 9
• Bosch UUV Simulator, https://roscon.ros.org/2018/presentations/ROSCon2018_uuvsimulator.pdf
  • plume tracking
  • Gazebo plugins and ROS modules

Working with uuv_simulator

• If installed from package for ros-kinetic, roslaunch --files uuv_descriptions upload_rexrov.launch shows:

  /opt/ros/melodic/share/uuv_assistants/launch/message_to_tf.launch
  /opt/ros/melodic/share/uuv_descriptions/launch/upload_rexrov_default.launch
  /opt/ros/melodic/share/uuv_descriptions/launch/upload_rexrov.launch
  

  Rather than installing and using this package, build it from source under workspace uuv_ws.

• When installed from our uuv_ws workspace, roslaunch --files uuv_descriptions upload_rexrov.launch shows:

  /home/bdallen/uuv_ws/src/uuv_simulator/uuv_descriptions/launch/upload_rexrov.launch
  /home/bdallen/uuv_ws/src/uuv_simulator/uuv_descriptions/launch/upload_rexrov_default.launch
  /home/bdallen/uuv_ws/src/uuv_simulator/uuv_assistants/launch/message_to_tf.launch
  

  and roslaunch --files uuv_gazebo_worlds ocean_waves.launch shows:

  /opt/ros/melodic/share/gazebo_ros/launch/empty_world.launch
  /home/bdallen/uuv_ws/src/uuv_simulator/uuv_gazebo_worlds/launch/ocean_waves.launch
  /home/bdallen/uuv_ws/src/uuv_simulator/uuv_assistants/launch/publish_world_ned_frame.launch
  

Exploring uuv_simulator

In page uuv_simulator reference we launched the ocean waves world and spawned a UUV at coordinate(0,0,-20). Here we examine the .world files and other code that makes this happen. Later we explore additions to this to provide a target capability: Grasp a ceramic cup.

empty_world.launch

This starts Gazebo defining default parameters and opening /usr/share/gazebo-9/empty.world:

<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<sdf version="1.5">
  <world name="default">
    <!-- A global light source -->
    <include>
      <uri>model://sun</uri>
    </include>
    <!-- A ground plane -->
    <include>
      <uri>model://ground_plane</uri>
    </include>
  </world>
</sdf>

which defines world "default" with light and ground.

ocean_waves.launch