Robobo Developer ROS2 Android
The main element that makes a Robobo a robot compatible with ROS 2 in the Android platform is the application Robobo Developer ROS2.
This application implements a proxy over the Robobo framework that makes it compatible with ROS 2. Robobo publishes all their sensors, in raw format, using a set of ROS 2 topics, one for each sensor. The detailed explanation of each topic can be found at Documentation of Robobo ROS 2 Sensor Topics. Regarding robot actuation, Robobo provides a set of ROS 2 services to command its movement and other actions. A detailed explanation can be found at Documentation of Robobo ROS 2 Services.
Installation of the Robobo Developer ROS2 application for Android must be done directly from the Google Play store on any Android 5.1 or higher compatible device:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mintforpeople.robobo.app.ros2.robobodeveloper
When you first run the application, it will ask for permission to take photos, record videos, record audio and access multimedia content.
The smartphone and the Robobo base must be paired by Bluetooth in order to be able to communicate between them. If the Bluetooth is not activated, the application will show an error a guide you to the Bluetooth configuration screen to enable it. If the desired Robobo base does not appear in the devices list, it may not be paired. Turn on the Robobo base without being connected to the battery charger and go to the Bluetooth configuration screen of the phone, activate the discovery of nearby devices and, when it appears, select it to connect.
To run the application select the Robobo robotic base and press the START button. After this all modules must be running, including the Robobo ROS 2 module which publishes the topics and starts all available services.
The developer must notice that ROS 2 platform no longer uses the concept of ROS MASTER, thus there is no need to set the environment variable ROS_MASTER_URI.
This ROS 2 version of the Robobo Developer application also includes a new user interface, different from the ROS 1 version. This new user interface allows de ROS 2 developer to see some useful monitoring data in real-time (e.g. what the Robobo see in the camera, values of the accelerometer sensors).
Supported by ROSIN - ROS-Industrial Quality-Assured Robot Software Components.
More information: rosin-project.eu
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 732287.
