Pioneer 3-DX ROS2 Packages

ROS2 workspace for controlling and simulating the Pioneer 3-DX mobile robot platform.

Packages

ros2aria - ROS2 driver for Pioneer 3-DX hardware using the AriaCoda library. Handles robot communication, odometry, velocity commands, and battery monitoring.

p3dx_description - Robot model files (URDF/Xacro), 3D meshes, and launch files for Gazebo simulation and RViz visualization.

Prerequisites

• Ubuntu 22.04 or compatible Linux
• ROS2 (Humble/Iron/Jazzy)
• Build tools: colcon, cmake

Install ROS2 dependencies:

sudo apt install ros-${ROS_DISTRO}-desktop \
  ros-${ROS_DISTRO}-teleop-twist-keyboard \
  ros-${ROS_DISTRO}-ros-gz \
  python3-colcon-common-extensions

Installation

1. Install AriaCoda Library

cd ~
git clone https://github.com/reedhedges/AriaCoda.git
cd AriaCoda
make -j4
sudo make install

2. Build Workspace

cd ~/p3dx_ws
colcon build --symlink-install
source install/setup.bash

Connecting to the Robot

Hardware Connection

Connect the robot to your computer via:

• USB-to-Serial adapter (typically /dev/ttyUSB0)
• Direct serial port (/dev/ttyS0)
• Network connection (hostname:port)

Grant serial port permissions:

sudo chmod 666 /dev/ttyUSB0

Or permanently add your user to the dialout group:

sudo usermod -a -G dialout $USER
# Log out and back in for changes to take effect

Running the Driver

Basic usage (default USB on /dev/ttyUSB0):

ros2 run ros2aria ros2aria_run

With custom parameters:

# Custom serial port
ros2 run ros2aria ros2aria_run --ros-args -p serial_port:=/dev/ttyUSB1

# Network connection
ros2 run ros2aria ros2aria_run --ros-args -p serial_port:=192.168.1.100:8101

# Custom baud rate
ros2 run ros2aria ros2aria_run --ros-args -p serial_baud:=115200

Teleoperation

Real Robot:

ros2 run teleop_twist_keyboard teleop_twist_keyboard

Simulation:

ros2 run teleop_twist_keyboard teleop_twist_keyboard --ros-args -r /cmd_vel:=/p3dx/cmd_vel

Use i/j/k/l keys to control the robot. Press q/z to adjust speed.

Simulation

Launch Gazebo simulation:

ros2 launch p3dx_description gz.launch.py

Launch RViz visualization:

ros2 launch p3dx_description rviz.launch.py

Topics Reference

Real Robot Topics (ros2aria)

Published:

• /pose (nav_msgs/Odometry) - Robot odometry
• /motors_state (std_msgs/Bool) - Motor status
• /battery_state_of_charge (std_msgs/Float64) - Battery voltage
• /recharge_state (std_msgs/Int8) - Charging status
• /tf - Transform from odom to base_link

Subscribed:

• /cmd_vel (geometry_msgs/Twist) - Velocity commands

Parameters:

• serial_port (default: /dev/ttyUSB0) - Serial port or host:port for TCP
• serial_baud (default: 0/auto) - Baud rate
• frame_id_odom (default: odom)
• frame_id_base_link (default: base_link)

Simulation Topics (Gazebo)

Published:

• /p3dx/odom (nav_msgs/Odometry) - Simulated odometry
• /p3dx/scan (sensor_msgs/LaserScan) - Laser scanner data
• /p3dx/imu (sensor_msgs/Imu) - IMU sensor data
• /p3dx/joint_states (sensor_msgs/JointState) - Joint positions and velocities
• /p3dx/kinect_camera (sensor_msgs/Image) - Kinect RGB image
• /p3dx/kinect_camera/camera_info (sensor_msgs/CameraInfo) - Kinect camera parameters
• /p3dx/kinect_camera/points (sensor_msgs/PointCloud2) - Kinect point cloud
• /p3dx/stereo_camera/left/image_raw (sensor_msgs/Image) - Left stereo image
• /p3dx/stereo_camera/left/camera_info (sensor_msgs/CameraInfo) - Left camera info
• /p3dx/stereo_camera/right/image_raw (sensor_msgs/Image) - Right stereo image
• /p3dx/stereo_camera/right/camera_info (sensor_msgs/CameraInfo) - Right camera info
• /robot_description (std_msgs/String) - URDF model
• /tf & /tf_static - Transform tree

Subscribed:

• /p3dx/cmd_vel (geometry_msgs/Twist) - Velocity commands

Troubleshooting

Cannot connect to robot

• Verify serial port: ls -l /dev/ttyUSB*
• Check permissions: sudo chmod 666 /dev/ttyUSB0
• Ensure robot is powered on
• Try different baud rates if needed

Robot not moving

• Check motor state: ros2 topic echo /motors_state
• Verify commands are received: ros2 topic echo /cmd_vel
• Note: Robot stops after 0.6s without velocity commands (safety watchdog)

Build errors

• Verify AriaCoda installation: ls /usr/local/include/Aria/Aria.h
• Clean build: rm -rf build install log && colcon build

Monitoring

Real Robot:

# Monitor odometry
ros2 topic echo /pose

# Check battery voltage
ros2 topic echo /battery_state_of_charge

# View node info
ros2 node info /ros2aria_run

Simulation:

# Monitor odometry
ros2 topic echo /p3dx/odom

# View laser scan
ros2 topic echo /p3dx/scan

# Check IMU data
ros2 topic echo /p3dx/imu

# View camera images
ros2 run rqt_image_view rqt_image_view

General:

# List all topics
ros2 topic list

# View TF tree
ros2 run tf2_tools view_frames

License

GPL-3.0-only