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i. Installation

Welcome to the Kikobot C1 Studio setup and startup guide. This document provides detailed steps to install, configure, and run the controller and visualization tools for Kikobot C1. Follow these instructions carefully to ensure a smooth setup process.

Prerequisites

Before proceeding, ensure the following:

  • You are using a system running Ubuntu 22.04 or a compatible OS.
  • ROS 2 Humble is installed on your system.
  • You have administrator privileges to execute commands.
  • All required files, including the .deb package, are available.
    Downloadables : Links To Be Added

Step 1: Install Required Dependencies

Kikobot C1 relies on several ROS packages for its functionality. Install these dependencies by running the following command in your terminal:

sudo apt-get install ros-humble-robot-state-publisher ros-humble-joint-state-publisher ros-humble-joint-state-publisher-gui ros-humble-xacro ros-humble-rviz2

Explanation of Dependencies:

  • robot-state-publisher: Publishes the state of the robot to the TF (Transform) tree.
  • joint-state-publisher: Publishes joint states for robot models.
  • joint-state-publisher-gui: Provides a graphical interface to adjust joint states manually.
  • xacro: Used for XML robot description processing.
  • rviz2: Visualization tool for robot models and environments.

Step 2: Install the Kikobot Planner Suite Package

Place the provided .deb package in the current working directory of your terminal. Then, run the following commands to install it:

sudo dpkg -i ros-humble-kikobot-planner-suite_1.0.0-0jammy_amd64.deb  
sudo apt-get install -f

Explanation:

  • dpkg -i: Installs the .deb package.
  • apt-get install -f: Fixes any missing dependencies automatically.

Step 3: Source ROS

To ensure your system recognizes the ROS 2 environment and installed packages, source the ROS setup script:

source /opt/ros/humble/setup.bash

Note:

You can add this command to your .bashrc file for automatic sourcing every time you open a terminal:

echo "source /opt/ros/humble/setup.bash" >> ~/.bashrc  
source ~/.bashrc

Step 4: Run the Application

Once all dependencies and the package are installed, you can run the Kikobot C1 application. There are two parts to this:

Launch the Kikobot Planner UI

The UI provides an interface to control the Kikobot C1. Launch it by executing:

kikobot_planner

After running this command, a UI will appear from which you can directly control the Kikobot C1.

Launch Visualization in RViz

To visualize the Kikobot C1 and its operations, use the following command:

ros2 launch kikobot_planner_suite display.launch.py

Note : By default the serial port is set as USB0, if you have connected to some another serial port, the replace it by /dev/ttyUSB1 or /dev/ttyACM1 as given in code below :

ros2 launch kikobot_planner_suite display.launch.py port_name:=/dev/ttyUSB1

Additional Notes

  • Ensure all commands are executed in the correct order.
  • If you encounter any issues during installation or execution, refer to the provided troubleshooting documentation or contact support.
  • Keep the provided .deb package and related files in a safe location for future reinstallation or updates.

By following these steps, you should be able to successfully set up and operate the dedicated controller, Kikobot C1 Studio.