Create descriptions for robots from examples

[destogl]

• There should be one description for each robot in the roadmap example - see Do we need a FlexibleJointState message? roadmap#17.

Following should be done (add additional items if needed):

• define description for rrbot in the description folder (existing 2dof can be reused)
• create *.ros2_control.xacro for each robot type
• prepare full xacro for the robot

[destogl]

Check descriptions of
demo_robot.yaml
demo_robot_minimal.yaml
in #21
@olivier-stasse : how does this looks to you?

[destogl]

@olivier-stasse here is something I would need help with, so if you have some time I would be very thankful :)

Current state

• in Add initial package structure #4 there is initial implementation of DemoRobot with URDF and xacro file
• I had problems with parsing xacro files in ROS2, therefore is comment about that in ros2_control_demo_robot/launch/minimal_robot.launch.py
• I solved it by generating URDF in ROS1 and then using it directly

What are next steps

• Use xacro file directly in ROS2
• Launch also robot_state_publisher
• Visualizes the MinimalRobot in rviz and check if the description make sense (test using joint_state_publisher is probably the easiest)
• Provide some fake funcitonality in DemoRobotHardwareMinimal class

When this works we should than concentrate on manager node and adding another examples.

Is this OK for you?

[olivier-stasse]

Sounds good !
I will give it try.

[Karsten1987]

I don't think it makes sense to parse xacro files. I think it makes sense to expect the robot_description to be presented as xml and therefore be parsed as such.

[destogl]

Oh, I wrote that confusing...

I meant not to parse xacro file manually, but to convert it automatically in launch file into URDF file.

this didn‘t work for me with xacro in ROS2 for unknown reasons...

[destogl]

Full list of examples: source

• Industrial Robots with only one interface - Add first example robot (rrbot as system) #37 and ROS2 Control Components - PositionJoint ros2_control#140
• Industrial Robots with multiple interfaces (can not be written at the same time) 2.1. Robots with multiple interfaces used at the same time - the same structure as in (2) - [Example 2]: Started multi_interface example #61
• Industrial Robots with a sensor integrated into the robot's control box - Adding demo for Example 3 : Industrial Robots with integrated sensor #68
• Industrial Robots with a sensor connected to ROS computer
• Modular Robots with separate communication to each actuator
• Modular Robots with actuators not providing states and additional sensors (simple Transmissions)
• Modular Robots with separate communication to each "actuator" with multi joints (Transmission Example) - (system component is used)
• Sensor only
• Actuator Only