ROS Robot: Terminal‑Controlled Navigation on Raspberry Pi

A straightforward ROS robot capable of navigating via simple terminal commands. This guide walks you through hardware setup, software installation, and live control to transform any generic robot platform into a smart, ROS‑enabled machine.

Introduction

The goal of this project is to demonstrate how to bring ROS (Robot Operating System) to a Raspberry Pi‑based robot. By following these steps you can convert any generic hardware kit into a fully autonomous robot that responds to keyboard inputs and ROS topics.

Video walkthroughs:

Hardware Installation

Attach the 9V battery pack to the +V and GND pins on the RasPiRobot Board V3 (refer to the board’s datasheet for pin layout).
Wire the left motors to the L pins and the right motors to the R pins on the board.
Mount the board directly on the Raspberry Pi 2.

Software Installation

Flash Ubuntu Core 16 onto the Raspberry Pi 2: Ubuntu Core Installation Guide. Do not connect peripheral boards during this step.
Ensure you provide at least 2A of USB power for stable operation.
Pre‑install essential tools: gcc, g++, python, and git.
SSH into the Pi using a key that bypasses the password prompt. Run sudo classic to switch to the full Ubuntu environment.
Install ROS Kinetic for ARM: ROS Kinetic ARM Installation.

Clone and install the RaspiRobot V3 drivers:

cd ~
git clone https://github.com/simonmonk/raspirobotboard3.git
cd raspirobotboard3/python
sudo python setup.py install

Clone this repository and build the workspace:
```
catkin_make
```

Running the Program

Open three separate terminal sessions via SSH.

Terminal 1
- Execute sudo classic.
- Start the ROS master: roscore.
Terminal 2
- Run sudo classic.
- Navigate to the project directory.
- Build the workspace: catkin_make.
- Source the setup file: source ./devel/setup.bash.
- Launch the keyboard controller: rosrun robot_motion_control node_keyboard_motion_controller.py.
Terminal 3
- Execute sudo classic.
- Switch to root: sudo su (required for driver IO access).
- Navigate to the project folder and source the setup file.
- Start the motor driver node: rosrun rpi_support node_raspirobotv3_driver.py.

Control commands (typed in Terminal 2):

F – Move forward
B – Move backward
L – Turn right
R – Turn left
S – Stop

References