robobuggy-software

The software stack of the Robobuggy team at CMU. This code was run for Raceday '25, on both Short Circuit and NAND.

We push buggy and code, but not buggy code.

Table of Contents

• Installation and Initial Setup
• Launching Code

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Installation and Initial Setup

Necessary + Recommended Software

• Docker
• Git
• Foxglove
• VSCode (recommended)

Docker

• Installation instructions here: https://docs.docker.com/get-docker/

Git

• https://git-scm.com/downloads

Foxglove

• Installation instructions here: https://foxglove.dev/

VSCode

• https://code.visualstudio.com/download

Install Softwares: WSL, Ubuntu (Windows only)

• Go to Microsoft Store to install "Ubuntu 22.04 LTS".

Apple Silicon Mac Only:

• In Docker Desktop App: go to settings -> general and turn on "Use Rosetta for x86/amd64 emulation on Apple Silicon"

Clone the Repository

This is so you can edit our codebase locally, and sync your changes with the rest of the team through Git.

• In your terminal type: $ git clone https://github.com/CMU-Robotics-Club/robobuggy-software.git.
• The clone link above is the URL or can be found above: code -> local -> Clone HTTPS.

Foxglove Visualization

• Foxglove is used to visualize both the simulator and the actual buggy's movements.
• First, you need to import the layout definition into Foxglove. On the top bar, click Layout, then "Import from file".
• 
• Go to repository and choose the file telematics layout for the correct buggy
• To visualize the simulator, launch the simulator and then launch Foxglove and select "Open Connection" on startup.
• Use this address ws://localhost:8765 for Foxglove Websocket
• Open Foxglove, choose the third option "start link".
• 

X11 Setup (recommended)

• Install the appropriate X11 server on your computer for your respective operating systems (Xming for Windows, XQuartz for Mac, etc.).
• Mac: In XQuartz settings, ensure that the "Allow connections from network clients" under "Security" is checked.
• Windows: Make sure that you're using WSL 2 Ubuntu and NOT command prompt.
• While in a bash shell with the X11 server running, run xhost +local:docker.
• Boot up the docker container using the "Alternate Shortcut" above.
• Run xeyes while INSIDE the Docker container to test X11 forwarding. If this works, we're good.

Launching Code

Open Docker

• Use $ cd to change the working directory to be robobuggy-software
• (If you are on Windows, you need to run the rest of this guide within a linux shell. Type $ bash in the terminal to open the Ubuntu shell.)
• Update ./setup_dev.sh to be executable by running chmod +x ./setup_dev.sh
• Then do ./setup_dev.sh in the robobuggy-software directory to launch the docker container.
• Then you can execute and enter the docker container using $ docker exec -it robobuggy-software-main-1 bash.
• When you are done, click Ctrl+C and use Ctrl+D or $ exit to exit.

ROS

• Make sure you are in the rb_ws directory. This is the workspace where we will be doing all our ROS stuff.
• To learn ROS on your own, follow the guide on https://wiki.ros.org/ROS/Tutorials.

2D Simulation

• Boot up the docker container (instructions above)
• Run ros2 launch buggy sim_2d_single.xml to simulate 1 buggy
• Run ros2 launch buggy sim_2d_double.xml to simulate 2 buggies

• See Foxglove Visualization for visualizing the simulation.

Connecting to and Launching the RoboBuggies

To launching Short Circuit:

1. Connect to the Wi-Fi named ShortCircuit.
2. In the command line window:

   • SSH to the computer on ShortCircuit:

     ssh [email protected]

   • Attach to the tmux session (this will split your window into 4 panes):

     tmux a -t buggy

     • Top left pane: system node
     • Top middle pane: main (auton) node
     • Top right pane: rosbag node (prefilled with a startbag command)
     • Bottom pane: your working terminal

     Refer to this guide on tmux for usage tips.

   • To restart the buggy stack, if needed:

     sudo systemctl restart buggy

3. Open Foxglove and connect locally to: ws://192.168.1.217/8765

To launch NAND:

1. Connect to the Wi-Fi named NAND.
2. In the command line window:

• SSH to the computer on NAND:

  ssh [email protected]

3. Rest of the Terminal and Foxglove steps are the same as Short Circuit.

To shut down the buggy:

1. Stop the buggy stack

   sudo systemctl stop buggy

2. Shutdown the ShortCircuit/NAND computer

sudo shutdown now