ros_workspace

ROS Workspace

This README.md details how to setup the ROS Worksapce.

Compiling directly

1. Ensure that you are running Ubuntu 24.04 (Noble Numbat) on your computer or in a virtualized environment

2. Install ROS2 Jazzy

3. Install necessary dependencies for our ROS2 workspace. You can look through the Dockerfile (Software_2025/ros_worksapce/Dockerfile) for the most up-to-date list of dependancies.

4. Run colcon build in Software_2025/ros_workspace

5. Source the workspace by running source setup.bash in Software_2025/ros_workspace/install

To run our C++ frontend (which is a standalone alternative to the Web Frontend)

ros2 run cpp_frontend cpp_frontend_node

Choose the backend launch file to run based on the ROV (ex. Waterwitch or Beaumont) and whether or not you are using the simulation_environment. Once chosen, you can run:

ros2 launch <backend package (ex. beaumont_backend)> <launch file <ex. simulation_beaumont_startup>>

If the launch file run starts an instance of ROSBridge Server, you can control the ROV using the Web Frontend

If you make changes and would like to recompile, restart from step 4.

Setting up on Docker

1. Install Docker and ensure you can use docker compose

2. Run the following within a terminal in Software_2025/.

sudo docker compose -f dev_compose.yaml up 

Note that compose.yaml is intended to run on the real ROVs' onboard Raspberry Pi computers and gives them access to the i2c bus for board communication. dev_compose.yaml runs the same code, but for interfacing with our simulation environment.

You should now have two docker containers, web_frontend and eer_ros_packages.

You can type "localhost" in your browser to view the web frontend or type sudo docker exec -it eer_ros_packages bash in a terminal to interact with our ROS2 nodes.

If you make changes and would like to recompile:

sudo docker compose -f dev_compose.yaml up ---build <web_frontend and/or eer_ros_packages>