Using the real robots

Before you start

You cannot run Gazebo and the real robot at the same time. Before you turn on your robot, make sure Gazebo is closed. (The reverse of this is also true - turn your robot off before you try and use the simulation again!)

Starting the robot

Before you can get started with your robot, you'll need a battery and to turn the robot on (this may seem obvious, but you'd be surprised!)

If your robot does not have a battery plugged in (check the red and black cable that runs under the middle plate) then ask a lab assistant for one. Batteries can be plugged in using the "T" connector on the battery pack and the end of the red and black cable on the robot.

Now, turn your robot on. There is a switch on the blue OpenCR board on the robot's middle plate - it should be roughly central and just underneath the RealSense camera. When you flip this switch, the board will light up and the Lidar will start spinning. Your robot will also sing a little song!

The robots don't have a visual output, so the easiest way to check when the robot finishes its boot sequence and becomes available is to run ros2 topic list in a Docker terminal. You may need to run it a few times while the robot boots up (try every few seconds). When you can see the topic /cmd_vel, your robot is ready to go!

Turning the robot off

Turning the robot off is the reverse sequence of booting it up. Firstly, make sure you have stopped running any code on the robot by ctrl+c in any terminals running.

Then, turn off the robot at the switch.

Finally, you can remove the battery. Remember to return it to the "used" battery bag.

Important note: Gazebo

Make sure you are not running Gazebo before you turn the robot on! This is because Gazebo uses some of the same topics as the physical robot, and will cause noise in those channels leading to unwanted robot behaviours.