Footbot/Real robot information
EPFL LSRO Wikipages
For updated info go to the EPFL wiki. http://wiki.epfl.ch/mobots-robots
Downloading ARGOS2
To download ARGoS2, you need git. First, create the file ~/.netrc with this content:
machine iridia-dev.ulb.ac.be login YOUR_USERNAME password YOUR_PASSWORD
and secure it:
$ chmod 600 ~/.netrc
Subsequently, configure git (once and for all) to accept Iridia dev's autosigned certificate:
$ git config --global http.sslVerify false
Finally, download the code:
$ git clone https://iridia-dev.ulb.ac.be/projects/argos2.git argos2
Connecting to a footbot
Wifi uses wpasupplicant to connect to a WPA-PSK access point. You can use USB or Bluetooth to connect to the robot otherwise. Set the selector on the robot top to an even value for USB, and uneven to Bluetooth.
USB
$ sudo /sbin/ifconfig usb0 192.168.0.200 netmask 255.255.255.0 $ ssh root@footbot_usb
footbot_usb is aliased to ip 192.168.0.202 in /etc/hosts. In asebastudio, to connect use
tcp:host=192.168.0.202;port=33333
Bluetooth
TODO: configuration of udev for bluetooth access
In asebastudio, to connect use
ser:device=/dev/footbotXX
Wifi
Currently unstable, check LSRO wiki.
Booting Algorithm
Beware of the sudden movement of the robot as it's booting. NEVER put it on a table when testing.
Connect with aseba with this custom destination:
tcp:host=192.168.0.202;port=33333
If Aseba connection doesn't work, try again without killing asebamedulla; otherwise, close Asebastudio, kill asebamedulla and reset the traslator and the pic. Rerun asebamedulla and try connecting. The command to run asebamedulla is the following:
$ asebamedulla --system "ser:device=/dev/ttymxc4;fc=hard;baud=921600" 2>&1 1>/dev/null &
If this does not work, try closing Asebastudio, killing asebamedulla and setting the selector to another even value (NOT an odd one!). Reset the pic and the translator, rerun asebamedulla and try
connecting again.
Battery
* full battery = 4.2V * empty battery < 3.6V
The charger we have at Iridia damages the batteries. We were given 12 batteries; to limit the number of damaged batteries, 10 batteries, when empty, won't be recharged. Only two batteries will be recharged.
Sensors
Camera
Cameras don't work at the same time; you can use them one by one.
If you want to stream images out of the footbot camera, in /home/root/ARGoS/bin you will find a program named mobotsvision. It is a streaming server.
To use it, the syntax is:
$ cd /home/root/ARGoS/bin $ ./mobotsvision <omnidirectional|ceiling> <gain> <exposure>
The first argument lets you select the camera to stream images from; the gain is the amount of signal amplification you want (0-127). A low value makes the images darker, a high value makes them brighter but also much noisier. The exposure is the total amount of light allowed to fall into the CCD sensor. Its range is 0-255. A low value makes images very dark, a high value makes them very bright. The exposure is linked to the time needed to take an image; a low value entails high frame rate, a high value entails low frame rate.
When running the server, if you get an error such as:
[FATAL] Cannot open /dev/video0: Input/output error
then try unbinding the driver and then binding it back. You do it this way:
$ echo 0-0 > /sys/bus/soc-camera/drivers/camera/unbind $ echo 0-0 > /sys/bus/soc-camera/drivers/camera/bind
When programming a low level tool for the robot, to select the camera to use, echo to file
/sys/class/gpio/gpio28/value a value of 0 for the omnidirectional camera and 1 for the front one.
The camera module is mt9t031.ko.
For problems, the EPFL guy to ask is Valentin Longchamps <valentin.longchamps@epfl.ch>.
Actuators
Turret Rotation
At boot, the robot sets the 0 position of the turret. To avoid damaging the robot or having funny values, always put the gripper back in the 0 position and then switch the robot on. It can be done also when the robot is on already: set the variable 'rev.pid.enable' to 0 and rotate the turret back to its position. Then select 'Tools->Reboot->Griper-led' and the new 0 position will be set.
Framework
Compiling ARGoS for the real robot
Download and install the toolchain from http://wiki.epfl.ch/mobots-robots/toolchain . It is recommended to install it system-wide because it hasn't been tested otherwise.
Configure your environment for cross-compilation:
$ source /usr/local/angstrom/arm/environment-setup
Then, compile the common package:
$ cd /path/to/argos2 $ cd common $ mkdir -p build/footbot $ cd build/footbot $ cmake -DARGOS_COMPILE_REAL_FOOTBOT=1 ../.. $ make
If everything goes OK, compile the real robot package:
$ cd /path/to/argos2 $ cd real_robot $ mkdir -p build/swarmanoid/footbot $ cd build/swarmanoid/footbot $ cmake ../../../swarmanoid/footbot $ make
If everything goes OK, compile the user package:
$ cd /path/to/argos2 $ cd user/my_user $ mkdir -p build/footbot $ cd build/footbot $ cmake -DARGOS_COMPILE_REAL_FOOTBOT=1 ../.. $ make
Installing the libraries in the real robot
If you log into the robot, you'll notice a directory ARGoS. It contains the aseba backend (aseba_backend.aesl), some useful tools in bin/ and a directory lib/ in which the ARGoS libraries are stored. Whenever you fix the common or real robot packages, you have to update these libraries. To do it, the handiest way is the following.
Create a directory to install ARGoS locally:
$ cd /path/to/argos2 $ mkdir install
Install the common package libraries:
$ cd common/build/footbot $ DESTDIR=../../../install make install
Same thing for the real robot package:
$ cd /path/to/argos2 $ cd real_robot/build/swarmanoid/footbot $ DESTDIR=../../../../install make install
Now go into the install directory:
$ cd /path/to/argos2 $ cd install
And get into the directory where the libraries have been copied:
$ cd usr/local/lib/argos2 $ ls
Copy all the libraries onto the robot:
$ scp * root@footbot_usb:~/ARGoS/lib/
Using your controller on the real robot
So you managed to compile the controller on your pc and maybe also to update the libraries. Now what?
When you have compiled your controller you will see that in "build/controller/name_of_your_controller/" you will find and executable file. This file has to be uploaded to the real robot.
Once this is done, connect with aseba to the robot (good luck) and then you execute aseba_backend.aesl (you can find this file on the robot, under ~/ARGoS).
Now you can run your controller:
[on the robot] ./your_controller -c FILECONFIG.xml -i ID_CONTROLLOR
where FILECONFIG.xml is the same xml you used in your simulated experiments and ID_CONTROLLER is the id of your controller (really?) meaning the id that is in the xml.
e.g. with "footbot_obstacle_avoidance":
./footbot_obstacle_avoidance -c obstacle_avoidance.xml -i sfc
Using the joypad to control a footbot
If you want to test the robots with the joypad you need a program that converts the input from your joypad to events into aseba. This program is called "asebarc" and you can ask it to Manuele, Carlo or Eliseo. Once you have compiled this connect to the robot with aseba and run "marxbot-swarmanoid-rc.aesl" (as before, ask this file to somebody). In your pc also run "asebarc" with this command:
./asebarc "tcp:host=192.168.0.202;port=33333"
You should now be able to control the footbot with the joypad.
One last thing that you have to know is that the buttons on the back of the joypad (R2 and L2, i think) are used to switch the mode of the turret between passive and rigid. The button that turns the light blue set the turret passive, while the one that turns the light green turns the turret rigid.
