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RSG integration into Microblox (UBX)

Table of Contents

Overview

RSG integration into Microblox (UBX). Provides system composition models for the SHERPA World Model.

In a nutshell, a SHERPA World Model as typically deployed on a robot has one so called World Model Agent plus a set of communication components like ZMQ or ROS. The components are realized with the Microblox (UBX) framework that allows to represent the SHERPA World Model in a single system coposition model (.utc file).

The World Model Agent is written in C++ and can be queried and updated with its respective API. In order to use that C++ API in your own program a dedicated World Model Agent has to be spawned, the communication infrastructure (ZMQ or ROS) has to be added manually and it has to be connected to the other World Model Agent wihtin SHERPA World Model.

As an alternative, the SHERPA World Model provides a JSON API that allows to send graph operatins via ZMQ. Examples for using the JSON API can be found for a Task Specification Tree and here

Installation

Installation as Docker container

This software can be installed as a Docker container. Further details can be found in the respective docker section.

Installation with an install script

In the below example we assume that all modules will be installed in the parent folder, where this repository (ubx_robotscenegraph) has been cloned to. Call the script with default parameters:

	./install.sh -i

OR:

 ./install.sh --help

to retrive the folllowing usage information:

 Usage: ./install.sh -i [--no-sudo] [--no-ros] [--workspace-path=PATH] [--install-path=PATH] [-h|--help] [-j=VALUE] 
 E.g. : ./install.sh -i --workspace-path=../ 

    -i                     Mandatory! Perform actual installation.
    -h|--help              Display this help and exit
    --no-sudo              In case the system has no sudo command available. 
    --no-ros               In case the system has no ROS (Hydro/Indigo) installation.
    --workspace-path=PATH  Path to where libraries and bulild. Default is ../
    --install-path=PATH    Path to where libraries and modeles are installed (make install) into.
                           (except for brics_3d). Default is /usr/local 
    -j=VALUE               used for make -jVAULE

The script will automatically summarize which environment varaible have to permenently saved. Please follow the instructios. E.g.

############################ATTENTION###############################
 ATTENTION: Please add the following environment variables:

export "HDF5_ROOT=/usr/local/" >> ~/.bashrc
export "UBX_ROOT=/workspace/microblx" >> ~/.bashrc
export "UBX_MODULES=/usr/local/lib/ubx" >> ~/.bashrc
export "BRICS_3D_DIR=/workspace/brics_3d" >> ~/.bashrc
export "FBX_MODULES=/workspace/brics_3d_function_blocks" >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc .

####################################################################

Manual installation

All detailed steps on how to install the dependencies can be cound in the install.sh script. The relevant environment variables for the installation procedured are listed in the section below.

Dependencies

Compilation

Compile this project manually as follows:

 $ mkdir build
 $ cd build 
 $ cmake -DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=/usr/bin/clang++ -DEIGEN_INCLUDE_DIR=/usr/include/eigen3 -DHDF5_1_8_12_OR_HIGHER=true -DUSE_JSON=true ..
 $ make
 $ make install

Environment Variables

Please make sure the following environment variables are set. (They should be since the install script is putting them into your .bashrc. However, you need to source your .bashrc after the installation.)

Default variables for Microblox:

Name Description
UBX_ROOT Points to the installation folder of UBX. Used within the CMake scripts to discover the UBX library.
UBX_MODULES Points to the the place where the UBX types, blocks etc. are installed. Used to load the types and modules at run-time

Dependencies to BRICS_3D and HDF5:

Name Description
BRICS_3D_DIR Points to the installation folder of BRICS_3D. Used within the CMake scripts to discover the BRICS_3D library.
FBX_MODULES Points to the the root folder of the BRICS_3D function blocks. Used to discover the rsg lua scripts.
HDF5_ROOT Points to the installation folder of HDF5. Use it in case it is not into installed to the default folders.

Updates

Manual updates

In order to update the system go to all relevant module folders. For each perform a git pull origin master and recompile with make clean followed by sudo make install

Update script

For convenience please use the following update.sh script:

	./update.sh

Similar to install script the fowllowing options are available:

	./update.sh --no-sudo

In case the system has no sudo command available. Usefull for Docker based installations.

OR

	./update.sh --no-git

In case no git pull sould be invoked.

Usage

Launching of a SHERPA World Model

You can start the SHERPA World Model by invoking:

  roscore&
  ./run_sherpa_world_model.sh

In case the ROS communication modules are not available use instead:

  ./run_sherpa_world_model.sh --no-ros

When the system is launched correcly the following promt appears:

JIT: ON CMOV SSE2 SSE3 SSE4.1 fold cse dce fwd dse narrow loop abc sink fuse
>

Then enter the following command and hit enter:

 start_all()

The system state can be observed in a browser by entering http://localhost:8888/ as URL.

Other examples can be obtained from the examples section.

Interaction with a SHERPA World Model

In general there are three possibilities to interact with the SHERPA World Model:

  1. By embedding a new World Model Agent in a process. It allows to [querie] (http://www.best-of-robotics.org/brics_3d/classbrics__3d_1_1rsg_1_1ISceneGraphQuery.html) and update all data via the C++ API. In order to use it, a dedicated World Model Agent has to be spawned, the communication infrastructure (ZMQ) has to be added manually and it has to be connected to the other World Model Agent of the SHERPA World Model.

  2. By using the JSON API. It allows to send graph operations encoded as JSON messages via ZMQ. The distribution of the Task Specification Tree makes use of this API.

  3. By creation of a dedicated bridge as done for ROS TF trees. Please note, that the implementation of the TF bridge embedds a World Model Agent as stated my method 1 and serves as a good reference example.

Licensing

This software is published under a dual-license: GNU Lesser General Public License LGPL 2.1 and Modified BSD license. The dual-license implies that users of this code may choose which terms they prefer. Please see the files called LGPL-2.1 and BSDlicense.

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the European FP7 project SHERPA (FP7-600958).

Impressum

Written by Sebastian Blumenthal ([email protected]) Last update: 25.01.2015