SLAM-Bot: Differential Drive Robot with RoboClaw + ROS 2

A Raspberry Pi 5–powered robot using a RoboClaw 2x15A motor controller, wheel encoders, and ROS 2 Humble for control and odometry.
Features include joystick teleoperation via an Xbox controller and Dockerized ROS 2 setup for portability.

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🚀 Features

• Motor control: RoboClaw 2x15A, packet-serial over USB
• Odometry: Wheel encoders → /odom (with optional TF publishing)
• Teleoperation: Xbox controller via joy + teleop_twist_joy
• Dockerized: Bring up the full stack with one command
• Safety: Deadman switch (LB), turbo button (RB), automatic stop on command timeout

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🖼️ Demo

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📦 Quickstart

1. Clone the repo

git clone git@github.com:ngardner045/slam-bot.git
cd slam-bot/docker

2. Build and run

docker compose up -d --build

This launches:

• roboclaw_base_node.py: ROS 2 node for motor control + odometry
• joy_node: reads controller events from /dev/input/eventX
• teleop_twist_joy: maps joystick → /cmd_vel → motors

3. Drive

• Hold LB (deadman)
• Push left stick forward/back (linear velocity)
• Move left stick left/right (angular velocity)
• Hold RB for turbo mode

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🎮 Controller mapping

Control	Function
LB (6)	Enable (deadman)
RB (7)	Turbo mode
Axis 1	Linear x (fwd/back)
Axis 0	Angular yaw (turn)

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📂 Project structure

.
├── docker/
│   ├── Dockerfile           # Base ROS + deps
│   ├── docker-compose.yml   # Bring up robot + teleop
│   └── teleop.yaml          # Optional teleop config
├── src/
│   └── roboclaw_base_node.py # Main ROS 2 driver node
├── docs/
│   └── demo.gif             # Demo media (optional)
├── LICENSE
└── README.md

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⚙️ Configuration

• Port: /dev/ttyACM0 (mapped via Docker)
• Address: 0x80 (packet-serial mode)
• Geometry params: wheel radius, track width, gear ratio in node params
• Timeout: cmd_timeout:=2.0 (motors stop if no command)

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🛡️ Safety notes

• RoboClaw red LED may blink when motors are commanded to stop — this is normal (status event, not a fault).
• Ensure batteries are properly rated for your motor current.
• Always test with wheels off the ground first.

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📫 Contact

• Author: Nathan Gardner
• GitHub: @ngardner045

License

No license granted. © ngardner045, 2025.
Viewing is permitted; any use, copying, modification, or distribution requires prior written permission.