Learning ROS for Robotics Programming

I pick up this book I just started reading it.

"Learning ROS for Robotics Programming" provides practical examples. Help understand the ROS framework. The authors continue by introducing various compelling topics such as modeling[URDF file], sensor integration, computer vision, and navigation algorithms.

 Table of Contents

 Preface
Chapter 1: Getting Started with ROS
Chapter 2: The ROS Architecture with Examples
Chapter 3: Debugging and Visualization
Chapter 4: Using Sensors and Actuators with ROS
Chapter 5: 3D Modeling and Simulation
Chapter 6: Computer Vision
Chapter 7: Navigation Stack – Robot Setups
Chapter 8: Navigation Stack – Beyond Setups
Chapter 9: Combining Everything – Learn by Doing
Index

This book is available online via Packt Publishing, a company that focuses on open source software and pays royalties to open source projects.

 Pick Up a Copy

Battlefield 4

I been play Battlefield for a number of years. BF4 come out Tuesday.

Starting to play with ROS

This weekend started playing ROS, the Robot Operating System created by California-based Willow Garage and now maintained by the Open Source Robotics Foundation (OSRF). 

ROS (pronounced "Ross") is to provide a unified and open source programming framework for controlling robots in a variety of real world and simulated environments. ROS is certainly not the first such effort. Just search Google and Wikipedia. 

Willow Garage has also designed and manufactured a $400,000 robot called the PR2 to help showcase its operating system. Using the latest in robot hardware, including two stereo cameras, a pair of laser scanners, arms with 7 degrees of freedom, and an omni-directional drive system, only a lucky few will be able to run ROS directly on the PR2, including 11 research institutions that were awarded free PR2s as part of a beta-test contest.

ROS; packages have already been created to support lower-cost platforms and components including the iRobot Create, TurtleBot, Arduino, WowWee Rovio, LEGO® NXT, Phidgets, ArbotiX, Serializer, and Robotis Dynamixels. From small differential-drive robots to mobile manipulators to autonomous cars, robots of every size and shape are using ROS to do interesting research and applications development. Groups around the world are also releasing free. 

To start playing

To play Installed VirtualBox on my desktop with Ready to Use Virtualized ROS Groovy. Also I had a old laptop Dell Inspiron 6000 with Intel Celeron M processor. Ok not state of the art but it not being use. Right now it just a place holder till decided what computer I plan on using. Size Cost and Power are some of the factor I looking at.

Steps

1. Install VirtualBox 
2. Download Virtualized ROS Groovy
3. Install Ubuntu 12.04 on to laptop
4. Install ROS Groovy (current release)
follow instruction on Ubuntu install of ROS Groovy

I installed Desktop Install: ROS, rqt, rviz, and robot-generic libraries

sudo apt-get install ros-groovy-desktop

I then worked through ROS Tutorials on my Virtualized ROS Groovy.

Note: laptop is going to be used with the Robot.

This Blog!!

Basically this is going to be log of my robot project.  I began in October 2011. I have a lot going on. I don't work on this as much as I like too. I spend a few day a month on it. Right now it is a simple base with controls.

I be posting info as can.