Which aerial platform do you use, autopilot and which ROS package?
I run a Hexoon 450 with PX4 and a Raspberry PI 4. I have translated the ROS2 Navigation stack to a full 3D navigation stack. (See my work on Github). Today it is using Foxy, but I am sure an upgrade to the later versions would only be a recompile.
I address the PX4 via MavSDK with my drone_mavsdk node. I have also done a Fast RTPS node, but have stopped developing it as mav_sdk is easier integrated into ROS2, and all i really need is to read GPS, Odometry and to pass mode commands (Takeoff, Land, Offboard) and velocity commands. In reality, I use very little of what PX4 offers.
I have applied the behaviour tree library to build a flight control node that integrates the navigation stack into a bigger robot. With this node i am able to calculate flight path of waypoints to cover a field, use my navigation stack to fly to the next waypoint, then call a camera module to take a picture at the waypoint for instance.
I have also developed a ground control station where I can launch the robot with a single button press. This initiates the flight control node to execute a selected behaviour tree.
This landscape is mostly coded now, and just needs more thorough testing.
What are you still missing in ROS framework for your platform project?
Can’t say there is anything that I miss. (I just need more time to build out the work)
Name and affiliation?
Andres Palomino, researcher at the Aerial Robotics team at Eurecat
Which aerial platform do you use, autopilot and which ROS package?
DJI matrice series with DJI ROS OSDK, and tailored platforms with PX4 and DJI autopilots. We use ROSPlan and BT at mission level. Packages used for high-level planning, control as well as localization differ with the particular application.
What are you still missing in ROS framework for your platform and project?
Effective debugging tools
Dedicated hardware to ROS to avoid ROS bridges and distribution dependency
This is great! Very awesome to see some replies here, and learning a lot!
So if I may make a summary so far:
About 60 % of you are from industry, 30 % from Academia and 10 % Hobbiysts
You use UAVs from all kinds of different types, mostly fixed wing and quadcopters. It seems that most of you have made your own platform, but some have used the DJI platforms, Crazyflie or combined ready platforms like with Holybro
Almost all of you use the PX4 autopilot, with various mentions of the DJI SDK, Crazyflie firmware and ardupilot
Half of you have experience with MAVros for ROS1 and have experimented with different navigation tools already existing. A handfull have started to make their own Aerial navigation stack
The biggest issue mentioned is the need for better intergration of their autopilot with ROS2, which co-relates to the second mention issue: ‘reducing autopilot bridges’. The 3rd is expressing the need for an Aerial robotics navigation stack, aka the ‘NAV2’ for UAVs. Some mentioned also a need for standardization (ROS-REP147 that @RFRIEDM mentioned)
So… is this perhaps good grounds to start some kind of explorative online meeting with us all? Is this something any of you would be interested in?
Name and affiliation?
Pierre Kancir, Freelance in robotics
Which aerial platform do you use, autopilot and which ROS package?
Mainly ArduPilot framework, on various drone type (multicopter, UGV, and submarines) and frame for industry and labs.
Integration with ROS was done with MAVRos and some custom development.
What are you still missing in ROS framework for your platform and project?
Standardized workflow for UAV usage (how to take off ? send waypoint ?),
Standard safety behavior tree on ROS
Which aerial platform do you use, autopilot and which ROS package?
Currently using PX4- but looking to move to Ardupilot. Currently using a heavily modified PX4 Vision 1.5 quadcopter that is running ROS Melodic.
What are you still missing in ROS framework for your platform and project?
PX4 and ROS2 doesn’t seem to be very active and as such- seems to have fallen behind. Community support for PX4 is very very low and questions often go unanswered on the forums/github.
Honestly I don’t see a standard between platforms on how ROS2 is being implemented and because of that- we have tons of different implementations for quads and ROS2. Knowing which standard is the best or which one we should be putting time towards would be really helpful.
I can see how that is 100% true; we were in the middle of re-architecture to simplify the whole process and were left carrying multiple solutions, and quickly ran into a wall, however, we are moving forward with an XRCE-DDS bridge which massively simplifies the comms between PX4 and ROS2, ping me if you have any questions, here’s a link to the docs (recently published) XRCE-DDS (PX4-FastDDS Bridge) | PX4 User Guide
Also it’s totally fair to move to Ardupilot, it’s a great project!
Great! I’ll will start a separate thread for a meeting then.
In the mean time, if anybody that want to add their info here, please go for it! The more info about what you are using the better as we will get a fuller picture about the community.
Which aerial platform do you use, autopilot and which ROS package? - I design and build autopilots and sensors mostly for use with PX4 and Ardupilot. My main focus is on PX4. I don’t currently use ROS, but I am working on a Pixhawk Autopilot Bus Jetson Carrier to help bring PX4 and ROS together. Long term we would like to see PX4/ROS being an easy to install package on the Jetson for controlling mobile robots.
What are you still missing in ROS framework for your platform and project? - Not sure yet.
My main goal for this year is to get a Jetson PAB Carrier to market. Then to have an open source demo a user can install that will do basic path planning and obstacle avoidance using ROS with the goal of giving end users a jumping off point.
I am planning on attending ROScon this year as well.
Name and affiliation?
Christian Boysen, EE undergrad at DTU
Which aerial platform do you use, autopilot and which ROS package?
PX4 on CubePilot CubeOrange+, ROS/ROS2 on various Jetson boards (melodic/humble).
What are you still missing in ROS framework for your platform and project?
Better integration between PX4/microROS/ROS2.
While I wish to totally adapt ROS2, I still find myself using MAVROS on ROS1 Melodic occasionally to take advantage of better support.
Jacob Yaacubov, Mechanical Engineer & ROS developer
Work at Cyber B - Arial robotics startup
Which aerial platform do you use, autopilot and which ROS package?
We use the ardupilot (ArduCopter) as the firmware for our quad drones
with ros2 galatic via mavros and ros1 bridge
now trying to establish Micro DDS communication between the two
What are you still missing in ROS framework for your platform and project?
i agree with @RFRIEDM also would add there is still no enough documentation on the subject on how even to start creating fully functional custom messages.
Its unclear for me (ardupilot noob) what msg are supported in micro dds with ros2,
mavros ros2 branch seems to be also under development as well but still not fully functional with ros2 humble
Since ArduPilot hasn’t made a release with DDS support, since it’s still in development, the tutorials aren’t ready yet. For now, take a look at the README to see this list.
Excited to announce Braden Wagstaff’s PX4 and ROS2 tutorial video and GitHub Repository. This is the first milestone in his summer internship to create an autonomous rover and drone using ARK Electronics hardware and open source software.
Next he will be taking PX4 uorb topics and get them published to standard ROS2 topics using the DDS bridge. From there he will start incorporating other ROS2 nodes for obstacle avoidance and path planning.
@AlexKlimaj very cool! perhaps you can show this in a new discourse thread in the aerial vehicle category about this video? This is a bit outside of the topic of this particular thread and then your video gets more exposure.
Name and affiliation?
Braden Wagstaff, ARK Electronics
Which aerial platform do you use, autopilot and which ROS package?
PX4 Autopilot, ROS2 Humble
What are you still missing in ROS framework for your platform and project?
Currently working on taking PX4 uorb topics coming in on DDS and publishing them to ROS2 topics. Goal is to create a package that allows anyone to use ROS2 and PX4 together without writing their own conversion nodes
