ROS SLAM Navigation Stack and Custom Robot

🚫 Course Updated to ROS NOETIC! 🚩

Rating is for OLD version of this course (for New Comers) 🏗️, New update to projects and way of explanation is what you are going to ❤️!

Course Workflow:

1. Creating the Custom Robot "Explorer Bot" 🚀:

   • We'll dive into creating a custom two-wheel differential drive robot from scratch using URDF (Unified Robotic Description Format). This includes understanding joints and links that define our robot's structure.

2. Robot Configuration with Gazebo Plugins:

   • Integrate essential Gazebo plugins like Differential Drive and Laser Scanner into the URDF of our "Explorer Bot". Get it ready for real-world simulation where we can actually drive the robot and read laser scan values within the simulation environment.

3. SLAM with Gmapping:

   • Master the SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) process using the Gmapping algorithm, which will help our robot to map an environment with a lidar sensor as it navigates through it.

4. Autonomous Navigation Setup:

   • Create a room within Gazebo using the Model Builder tool and enable our "Explorer Bot" to perform autonomous driving tasks using the Navigation Stack algorithms. This includes path planning and managing costs in the environment.

Outcomes After this Course:

You will be able to:

• Create a Custom Workspace with all necessary directories, scripts, and resources.
• Develop Custom Python Packages tailored for your robotic projects.
• Design and simulate Mobile Robots using URDF in real-world scenarios.
• Calculate the Inertia Matrix for URDF Links to optimize your robot's dynamics.
• Integrate Gazebo plugins such as Differential Drive and Laser Scanner into your custom robot.
• Write and understand Launch files to manage simulation environments.
• Master RVIZ and Gazebo Simulation Fundamentals for visualizing and interacting with your robots in a virtual space.
• Work with 3D CAD Model meshes within the Gazebo simulation for a more realistic environment.
• Perform SLAM using the Gmapping node, which is crucial for robotics applications.
• Integrate the Navigation Stack into your custom robot, including configuring path planners and cost maps.

Projects:

• Custom Differential Drive Robot Creation: Implement a fully functional differential drive robot from scratch.
• Pipeline Exploration and Mapping Robot: Set up a system to explore environments and build accurate 3D maps.
• Custom Room creation and Autonomous Navigation in Gazebo: Design a custom room and program your robot to autonomously navigate through it using the Navigation Stack.

Process of Explanation:

1. Interactive writing and comments to understand the theory behind each concept.
2. Coding nodes for the discussed concepts, followed by analyzing the output.
3. Documenting resources used and understanding their impact on the project's outcome.

Software Requirements:

• Ubuntu 20.04 (Your robotics lab in a box!)
• ROS Noetic (The latest Robot Operating System for cutting-edge robotics)
• A motivated mind ready to embark on a programming adventure!

🔍 Before buying, take a look into this course's GitHub repository or message the instructor to get an insight into what you will be learning! And even if you don't buy the course, the code is available for you to learn from 🙂.