I use catkin_make because that’s what all the tutorials used. I’ll look at catkin-tools.
But after I typed my message, it dawned on me that I will need to filter out the floor if I open up the field of view. Maybe that’s why the code is relatively simple and works the way it does. I’ll need to incorporate a height-above-floor value for the kinect and test on it. The code currently just calculates x and z and not y, so hopefully it’s simple to add the y and ignore it if its at ground level or below.
Catkin tools can be a bit more restrictive, so you might find bugs you didn’t see with catkin_make. But the output is sooo much nicer. Catkin config is really nice for overlays too, because it shows you exactly what you are doing.
The laserscan_kinect worked very well and operates at a much lower CPU utilization. Using the tilt parameter, I am able to tilt down the kinect so it has a better view of close in obstacles. I’ve got a lot of tweaking to do to make the sure tilt and height in the laserscan_kinect param file is correct and they are properly mapped to the transforms so the planners use them correctly.
I bought some ultrasonic sensors I plan to install around the robot to help areas where the Kinect can’t see. It still likes to clip things. That may be due to issues with tranform values being slightly off or accuracy with the localization provided by the mapper, not sure. I know its going to be a challenge for a 20-inch diameter robot to navigate through doorways and narrow hallways.
One thing I’m trying to do is play with the planner… I saw a statement that trajectory rollout might perform better than DWA for a large robot with low acceleration. @jeffeb3, in the ROS world… do you know what is defined as a large robot and what’s considered low acceleration? The terms are relative and what I may consider large/low is not what other people consider large/low.
My new challenge is to figure out how to cover this thing. It’s currently 18-inches tall and has a diameter of 20 inches. If I’m ever to move this thing out into the living area, I’ve got to make it look "nice’ (nice to my wife… I already think its gorgeous). The issue is that its cylindrical and I know I won’t find big tube with the precise dimensions that I need. In addition, the portion that the laser mapper operates needs to be clear… This is what I have and what I want to turn it into (though I might want embellish it some)
There’s lots of different plastics out there and the simplest thing to do may be to find something flexible enough I can bend it at a 10-inch radius and form it into rings. However, with a 20-inch diameter, I need plastic that’s over 5-feet long (20*pi=~63 inches) if I’m to do it as one piece rings. The acrylic I see at the local big box stores are fairly rigid and I don’t think they would flex enough. So, does anyone have any ideas? Types of materials and how to form it?
You can form it with a heat gun kinda like steam bending wood. There are some tutorials out there.
5 foot long acrylic sounds like a specialty shop. You could always try cutting shorter pieces up and using a chemical to weld another piece over where they join. It basically melts the two pieces of acrylic into one piece. You might even be able to do end-to-end welds. Beware, the chemical used for bonding acrylic is cancer causing and needs to be used in a well ventilated place… I tend to avoid it.
If it’s definitely acrylic and not polycarbonate I think you can use acetone too but it doesn’t work as well.
I like @jeffeb3’s idea…seriously, a fabric of some sort would work. Perhaps a heavy vinyl?
Another idea would be to use some thin plywood and cut (lots) of shallow kerfs to allow a tight enough bend. 1/8" luan is cheap (~$10 for 4’x8’) and probably available at the local box store.
There are thin plastics that can be rolled for shipping.
Thin (about .025") aluminum can be rolled for shipment as well, but will be prone to dents in use.
Personally, I think I’d give the luan plywood a try. It’s cheap, readily available, and if you don’t want to cut all those kerfs yourself, you might have a robotic minion which could do it for you.
Would that make access difficult? I suspect reasonably easy access is a requirement.
A skirt with a zip or velcro might work though. For all I know it might be possible to find something “Off the Rack”. 20" is pretty skinny though. Perhaps the children’s department?
Some thoughts on the kerfed plywood approach. Could use the CNC to cut some rings that could be glued to the inside of the plywood to hold the shape. If made in half circle pieces, it might be possible to attach the pieces with some rare earth magnets, so it could all just pop off for easy access.
Yeah, it’d have to be on removeable frame sections. I just thought its glossy finish would look good. Sounds like the kerfed plywood with supporting rings would be a better way to go.
Easy access is certainly desirable, so having it panelized (halves, thirds, quarters) would be good… and may make it easier to deal with materials since I wouldn’t have to buy something 63+ inches.
I thought about kerfing and though it would work for the opaque areas, I still need to resolve the level where there’s the laser mapper. If I could get a sheet of the stuff that face shields are made from, I could paint(?) the areas above and below the laser mapper and leave the laser mapper area clear. I think this would be the cleanest and simplest way. Nevertheless, availability is the problem… and I would hate to consume a resource that’s needed for a bigger purpose.
But I found this at office depot…
It’s got plenty of height and two of them would cover the entire robot. I just don’t know how “flexible” it is… but its available locally so I might be able to go check it out. If it would work, my idea is to cut a frame for it and probably use some rare-earth magnets I already have to hold it to the robot.
I don’t… but I also read somewhere a good measurement of flexibility for platics is to keep the bend radius at least 200x the thickness. So for a 10 inch bend radius, I should try to find 0.05 inch thick (or less)
hdpe will bend with heat. I had a 4X8 sheet of the stuff taco itself in my barn. It’s quarter inch. You could make a form with some cardboard over a plywood frame and heat it with a heat gun, or propane torch.
