Baxter Control Package for Mimicking Human Actions

Workflow

Steps to Launch on Actual Robot

• Connect to Rethink

  nmcli connection up Rethink
  

• Check connection using

  ping baxter.local
  

• Set ROS Master URI in each terminal you use using:

  export ROS_MASTER_URI=http://10.42.0.2:11311
  export ROS_IP=10.42.0.1
  unset ROS_HOSTNAME
  

  or use script

  source connect_baxter.sh
  

• Check if Joint_states are published by the robot

  rostopic echo /robot/joint_states
  

• Enable Baxter

  rosrun baxter_tools enable_robot.py -e
  

• Check status of Robot

  rosrun baxter_tools enable_robot.py -s
  

• Source rethink_ws, moveit_robots_ws and this project_ws before using launch file below

  • Verify if all workspaces are set to ROS_Package_Path using

  • printenv | grep ROS_PACKAGE_PATH
    

• Launch RViz interface and trajectory node

  roslaunch baxter_control basic.launch left_electric_gripper:=true right_electric_gripper:=true run_trajectory_node:=true 
  

  Debug:

  roslaunch baxter_control basic.launch use_joint_joystick:=true left_electric_gripper:=true right_electric_gripper:=true
  rosrun baxter_control trajectory
  

  joint_trajectory_action_server.py is included in the launch file

• Disable the robot

  rosrun baxter_tools enable_robot.py -d
  

Steps to Launch in Simulation

• Use command below to launch baxter robot in simulation, optionally set run_trajectory_node:=true to run trajectory node

  roslaunch baxter_control basic.launch use_simulation:=true
  

  Wait, this may take time

Launch file configuration options:

Args	Default	Description
run_trajectory_node:=true	false	Optionally run trajectory node
use_simulation:=true	false	Optionally load Baxter robot in simulation
headless:=true	true	Run Gazebo in headless mode
gui:=true	false	Run Gazebo with GUI
left_electric_gripper:=true	true	Use baxter with left gripper enabled
right_electric_gripper:=true	true	Use baxter with right gripper enabled
use_gripper_joystick	false	Control and callibrate left and right gripper using controller
use_joint_joystick	false	Control arm joints as well as gripper using controller
joystick	xbox	set controller (xbox
dev	/dev/input/js0	path to controller

Services available

• home: move left and right arm to predefined left_neutral and right_neutral position respectively

  rosservice call /home "reset: true" 
  

• start: To initialize all services and calibrates left and right gripper

  rosservice call /start "reset: true" arm:"none"
  

  To initialize followme sequence as shown in the flowchart above

  rosservice call /start "reset: false" arm:"left"
  

  you may reset as well as initialize sequence, both together as well! but in this case ypu wont go to home position, you will go to first waypoint instead (assuming waypoints are already loaded in rosparam server).

  rosservice call /start "true: false" arm:"left"
  

• left_go2pose: if grip is set True this servive calls left_grip service after its execution is successful

  rosservice call /left_go2pose "goal_position:                          
    x: 0.0
    y: 0.0
    z: 0.0
  goal_orientation:
    x: 0.0
    y: 0.0
    z: 0.0
    w: 0.0
  grip: false" 
  

• right_go2pose: if grip is set True this servive calls right_grip service after its execution is successful

  rosservice call /right_go2pose "goal_position:                     
    x: 0.0
    y: 0.0
    z: 0.0
  goal_orientation:
    x: 0.0
    y: 0.0
    z: 0.0
    w: 0.0
  grip: false"  
  

• left_grip: close left gripper using input state: 1 and open using state: 0

  rosservice call /left_grip "state: false" 
  

• right_grip: close right gripper using input state: 1 and open using state: 0

  rosservice call /right_grip "state: false"   
  

• followme: Specify the arm which should follow waypoints trajectory

  rosservice call /followme "arm: 'left'"
  

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Dependencies

Title	Link
RethinkRobotics	Github
moveit_robots	Github

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Baxter Home Positions:

Left Gripper

position: 
  x: 0.6494685697319907
  y: 0.8371804136224866
  z: 0.043937503445779125
orientation: 
  x: -0.3801916530737042
  y: 0.9235212614290408
  z: 0.020782280350508237
  w: 0.0461614930979309

Right Gripper

position: 
  x: 0.6544330865980147
  y: -0.841170466336113
  z: 0.054577985020326486
orientation: 
  x: 0.3804649229042976
  y: 0.9229889441554372
  z: -0.023015433956129042
  w: 0.05299189755112533

RQT Graph