WCR Robot - ROS2 Workspace

A comprehensive ROS2 workspace for a WCR 4WIS4WID with advanced control algorithms, simulation capabilities, and odometry estimation.

📋 Overview

This workspace contains a complete robot system implementation including URDF description, Gazebo simulation, multiple control strategies, odometry estimation, and launch configurations for WCR 4WIS4WID robot with steering capabilities.

🏗️ Package Structure

wcr_description

Robot description package containing URDF/Xacro models and visualization configurations.

Features:

• Complete robot URDF model with configurable parameters
• Multiple ros2_control hardware interface configurations:
• Gazebo world files and simulation plugins
• RViz configuration files for visualization
• Robot meshes and visual assets

Launch Files:

• display.launch.py - Visualize robot in RViz
• gazebo.launch.py - Launch robot in Gazebo simulation

wcr_controllers

Custom controller implementations for trajectory tracking and motion control.

wcr_control

ROS2 control configuration and controller management.

Launch Files:

• controller.launch.py - Start controller manager and load controllers

wcr_odometry

Odometry estimation node for robot state feedback.

wcr_launcher

Unified launch package for starting the complete robot system.

Features:

• Centralized launch configuration
• YAML-based parameter management
• Conditional launching
• Namespace management
• Robot state publisher integration

Configuration:

• config/robot_params.yaml - Robot physical parameters:
  • Chassis dimensions (225mm x 225mm) and mass (3.0 kg)
  • Steering system parameters
  • Wheel specifications
  • Propeller configuration
  • EDF (Electric Ducted Fan) parameters
  • Inertia properties

Launch Files:

• launcher.launch.py - Main launch file for the complete system

🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

• ROS2 (Humble/Iron/Rolling recommended)
• Gazebo (for simulation)
• ros2_control and ros2_controllers
• Python 3.8+
• CMake and build tools

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   cd ~/ros2_ws/src
   git clone <repository-url>

2. Install dependencies:

   cd ~/ros2_ws
   rosdep install --from-paths src --ignore-src -r -y

3. Build the workspace:

   cd ~/ros2_ws
   colcon build

4. Source the workspace:

   source install/setup.bash

🎮 Usage

Launch the Complete System

Gazebo:

ros2 launch wcr_launcher launcher.launch.py

🔧 Configuration

Robot Parameters

Edit config/robot_params.yaml to modify:

• Robot dimensions and mass
• Wheel and steering specifications
• Motor effort and velocity limits
• Inertia parameters
• Propeller and EDF configurations

Edit config/launch_params.yaml to modify:

• World
• URDF files
• Control variants

Controller Selection

Choose the appropriate ros2_control configuration in your URDF by including the desired xacro file:

• For testing/simulation: mock_wcr_classic.ros2_control.xacro (use config/launch_params.yaml: variant: "mock")

📚 Additional Resources

• ROS2 Documentation
• gz_ros2_control Documentation
• Gazebo Documentation