[NASA Space ROS Sim Summer Sprint Challenge 2024]: Space ROS meets Open 3D Engine: A Case Study On Setup Complexity, Features, and Challenges in Mobile Robot Simulation

[Mechazo11]

Feature description

This issue is related to the submission to NASA Space ROS Sim Summer Sprint Challenge 2024.

Team lead Freelancer username: azmyin12
Submission Title: Space ROS meets Open 3D Engine: A Case Study On Setup Complexity, Features, and Challenges in Mobile Robot Simulation

Related PR: TODO

Notes to Judges: Previously I opened an Issue to start my submission in space-ros/docker issue #181 and its related PR #183 but have resubmitted here as per the instructions of @mkhansenbot.

Deliverables: My submission will include

• A new docker image that integrates O3DE with Space-ROS via ROS 2 Gem.
• A complete O3DE project called RobotSim that comes with two new new asset Gems, NasaCuriosityRoverGem and MarsYardGem.
• Instructions on running the demo.
• A short case study detailing my experience with O3DE, its usefulness to NASA, Space ROS and major challenges that needs to be addressed [will be placed in the PR's comment section]

Implementation considerations

This issue is related to PR #?? that introduces a new demo to demonstrate integration between Open 3D Engine and Space ROS via the ROS 2 Gem. It showcases a new test bed (on Earth) based on the JPL's Mars Yard. A short report will be presented in the PR's comment section after completing all requirements for the submission.

Pros:

• High fidelity rendering with physics accurate interactions (see pictures above).
• Native ROS 2 support without the requirement for additional middle ware via the ROS 2 Gem.
• Python and Lua supported for complex environment event generation
• A dedicated Terrain tool.
• Feature rich UI for rapid prototyping.

Cons:

• High disk space (+40 GB) usage.
• May be initially challenging to pickup without prior experience to game engines and lack of robotics specific tutorials.