🤖 Articulated Bot (ROS 2 Jazzy)

A complete autonomous differential drive robot built with ROS 2 Jazzy. This project demonstrates Simulation, Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM), and Navigation using Gazebo Harmonic.

✨ Features

• 🕹️ Teleoperation: Manual control using keyboard teleop.
• 🗺️ SLAM (Simultaneous Localization & Mapping): Generates 2D occupancy grid maps using slam_toolbox.
• 🧠 Autonomous Navigation: Ready for integration with the Nav2 stack for path planning.
• 👁️ Perception: Equipped with Lidar sensors (simulated in Gazebo).
• 🏗️ Custom Worlds: Includes a specialized maze environment optimized for mapping tests.

🛠️ Prerequisites

• OS: Ubuntu 24.04 (Noble Numbat)
• ROS 2 Distro: Jazzy Jalisco
• Simulator: Gazebo Harmonic (ros-jazzy-ros-gz)

Dependencies

Install the required ROS 2 packages:

sudo apt install ros-jazzy-navigation2 ros-jazzy-nav2-bringup ros-jazzy-slam-toolbox ros-jazzy-ros-gz

🚀 Installation

1. Clone the repository:

mkdir -p ~/bot_ws/src
cd ~/bot_ws/src
# Replace with your repo URL
git clone [https://github.com/sudoaptinstalltarun/articulat_bot.git](https://github.com/sudoaptinstalltarun/articulat_bot.git) .

2. Build the workspace:

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

🏃 Usage Guide

1. Launch Simulation

Start the robot in the custom Gazebo Maze environment.

Standard Launch:

ros2 launch my_bot launch_sim.launch.py

⚠️ NVIDIA Users (ASUS TUF / Gaming Laptops): Use this command to prevent Lidar lag and rendering crashes:

__NV_PRIME_RENDER_OFFLOAD=1 __GLX_VENDOR_LIBRARY_NAME=nvidia ros2 launch my_bot launch_sim.launch.py

2. Mapping Mode (SLAM)

To create a new map of the environment:

Step A: Start SLAM

ros2 launch slam_toolbox online_async_launch.py use_sim_time:=true

Step B: Control the Robot Open a new terminal and run:

ros2 run teleop_twist_keyboard teleop_twist_keyboard

Step C: Visualize Open RViz to see the map building in real-time:

rviz2

(Add the "Map" and "LaserScan" topics in the RViz window)

Step D: Save Map When finished mapping, run:

ros2 run nav2_map_server map_saver_cli -f ~/my_map

📂 Project Structure

my_bot/
├── launch/             # Launch files for Simulation and SLAM
├── description/        # Robot URDF/Xacro files (lidar, chassis, properties)
├── worlds/             # Custom Gazebo world files (maze.world)
├── config/             # Configuration parameters (SLAM toolbox, etc.)
└── package.xml

👨‍💻 Author

Tarun GitHub: @sudoaptinstalltarun