RTAB-Map Docker Container

This repository contains Dockerfiles and scripts to run RTAB-Map using ROS Noetic within a Docker container.

Getting Started

Build Docker Images

Run 001_build_images.sh to build the initial Docker images.

./001_build_images.sh

Rebuild Docker Images

If needed, use 002_rebuild_images.sh to rebuild the images.

./002_rebuild_images.sh

Start RTAB-Map container with ROS Noetic

Run 003_start_ros_noetic_rtab.sh to start the RTAB-Map container within a ROS Noetic environment.

./003_start_ros_noetic_rtab.sh

Attach Bash Session to Running Container

Use 005_attach_bash_to_ros_noetic_rtab.sh to attach a bash session to a running container.

./005_attach_bash_to_ros_noetic_rtab.sh

Build the workspace

Once inside the container, go to the unitree_ws directory, run catkin_make to build the workspace and source the setup.bash file to apply the changes made by catkin_make to your terminal.

cd ~/unitree_ws
catkin_make
source devel/setup.bash

Launch the robot

Launch the robot in the ROSNoeticDocker container with host network

• Terminal 1:

  export TURTLEBOT3_MODEL=waffle
  start_turtlebot3_gazebo_world.sh
  

• Terminal 2:

  start_turtlebot3_gazebo_rviz.sh
  

• Terminal 3:

  start_turtlebot3_teleop_key.sh
  

⚠️ Pro tip: if you want to be lazy, save some time by creating a launch file to launch all the above scripts in a single command. 😴

RTAB-Map SLAM

LiDAR:

start_rtabmap_lidar_only.sh

Parameter	Info
scan_topic:=/scan	Requires the topic on which the LiDAR data gets published
frame_id:=base_link	Requires the frame that serves as the base reference of the robot
odom_frame_id:=odom	Requires the frame that serves as the odometry reference of the robot
map_frame_id:=map	Requires the frame that serves as the map reference

Camera:

start_rtabmap_rgbd.sh

Parameter	Info
rgb_topic:=/camera/rgb/image_raw	Requires the topic on which the raw RGB image is published
depth_topic:=/camera/depth/image_raw	Requires the topic on which the depth image is published
camera_info_topic:=/camera/rgb/camera_info	Requires the topic on which the camera info is published
imu_topic:=/imu	Requires the topic on which the IMU data of the robot is published
odom_topic:=/odom	Requires the topic on which the odometry data of the robot is published
frame_id:=base_link	Requires the frame that serves as the base reference of the robot

⚠️ Pro tip: Read the source code of the scripts to understand what they do, what other launch scripts from other packages they invoke, what arguments they take, and how they work. This knowledge will help you debug any future issues you may will encounter 🤓. If you need more information on RTAB-Map, check out the RTAB-Map ROS Wiki.

Development

Debugging

There are a lot of things that can go wrong, like, A LOT 🙃. Here is a list of things to try if when you run into any common issues such as incorrectly configured topics or unconnected tf trees.

• If you get an error like ERROR: Unable to communicate with master!, try running source /opt/ros/noetic/setup.bash and try again.

  source /opt/ros/noetic/setup.bash
  

• If you get an error like ERROR: Unable to communicate with master!, try running source ~/unitree_ws/devel/setup.bash and try again.

  source ~/unitree_ws/devel/setup.bash
  

• inspect topics with rostopic list

  rostopic list
  

• inspect messages with rostopic echo /topic_name

  rostopic echo /topic_name
  

• inspect nodes with rosnode list

  rosnode list
  

• inspect node info with rosnode info /node_name

  rosnode info /node_name
  

• inspect the rqgraph with rosrun rqt_graph rqt_graph

  rosrun rqt_graph rqt_graph
  

• inspect the TF tree with rosrun rqt_tf_tree rqt_tf_tree

  rosrun rqt_tf_tree rqt_tf_tree
  

• inspect the TF tree with rosrun tf view_frames

  rosrun tf view_frames
  

• inspect the TF tree with evince frames.pdf

  evince frames.pdf
  

• inspect the TF tree with rosrun tf tf_monitor

  rosrun tf tf_monitor
  

• inspect the TF tree with rosrun tf tf_echo /frame1 /frame2

  rosrun tf tf_echo /frame1 /frame2
  

• search for a package with roscd package_name

  roscd package_name
  

7 golden rules for life you must recite every day before bed so you never forget

Have you tried turning it off and on again? 🧐

Logs and error messages exist for a reason. 🤨

If you are stuck, Google is your good ol' friend. 😏

If you are still stuck, ChatGPT is your new bestie. 😍

If it's on the internet, it must be true! ~ Albert Einstein 🤔

Unless you want to experience 1996, Autosave and backups will save your job or thesis if when Word crashes 1 min before deadline 🙃

In case of fire:

git add *
git commit -m '🔥'
git push

Volumes

• Use the Volumes directory to mount external storage.
• If you are using a remote server, you can use the Volumes directory to share files between your local machine and the remote server.
• If you clone a repository to your local machine, you can use the Volumes directory to share files between your local machine and the Docker container.
• Beware of commiting a repository within a repository! Make sure to create a submodule or remove the .git directory or add the Volumes directory to the .gitignore file before commiting.

Data

• Place any required data in the Data directory.

License

MIT