ROS 2 Ackermann Controller

Learning Objectives

In this example, we will drive a forklift by subscribing to a AckermannDriveStamped message through the ROS network. We will learn to

• Setup Articulation and Ackermann controllers to a forklift

• Setup the robot to be driven by a ROS2 AckermannDriveStamped message

Getting Started

Important

Make sure to source your ROS 2 installation from the terminal before running Isaac Sim. If sourcing ROS 2 is a part of your bashrc then Isaac Sim can be run directly.

Prerequisite

• This ROS2 Ackermann Controller sample is only supported on ROS2 Foxy and Humble.

• The ackermann_msgs ROS2 package is required to run this sample. To install this package run the following command:

  Humble

  sudo apt install ros-humble-ackermann-msgs
  

  Foxy

  Warning

  ROS 2 Foxy is no longer tested or supported. This may result in potential issues when ROS 2 Foxy is used in conjunction with Isaac Sim 4.2 or later. ROS 2 Foxy Isaac Sim tutorial packages will be removed in a future release.

  sudo apt install ros-foxy-ackermann-msgs
  

• Enable the omni.isaac.ros2_bridge Extension in the Extension Manager window by navigating to Window > Extensions.

• This tutorial requires isaac_tutorials ROS2 package which is provided in IsaacSim-ros_workspaces repo. Complete ROS and ROS 2 Installation to make sure the ROS2 workspace environment is setup correctly.

Ackermann Controller and Drive Setup

1. In a new stage, create the Flat Grid environment by going to Create -> Isaac -> Environments -> Flat Grid.

2. Add the Forklift C robot by going to Create -> Isaac -> Robots -> Wheeled Robots -> Forklift -> Forklift C.

3. Create a new action graph by navigating to Window > Visual Scripting > Action Graph and then in the Action Graph panel, select New Action Graph.

4. Now add the following nodes to the graph and connect them as shown:

   • On Playback Tick node to execute other graph nodes every simulation frame.

   • ROS2 Context node to create a context using either the given Domain ID or the ROS_DOMAIN_ID environment variable.

   • Isaac Compute Odometry Node node to compute the robot’s current linear speed.

   • Ackermann Controller node to compute individual wheel steering angles and wheel speed.

   • ROS2 Subscribe AckermannDrive node to subscribe to Ackermann drive commands.

     

   • In the Property tab for the Isaac Compute Odometry Node:

     • Add the Forklift prim (ie. /Forklift) to its chassisPrim input field. This node calculates the position of the robot relative to its start location. Its linear velocity output will be fed into the Ackermann Controller node.

   • In the Property tab for the ROS2 Subscribe AckermannDrive node:

     • Ensure the topicName input field is set to ackermann_cmd.

   • In the Property tab for the Ackermann Controller node set inputs as shown in the table below:

     Input Field	Value
     invertSteeringAngle	True
     maxWheelRotation	0.69813
     maxWheelVelocity	20.0
     trackWidth	0.82
     turningWheelRadius	0.255
     useAcceleration	True
     wheelBase	1.65

5. Add the following nodes to the graph and modify them as explained:

   • Articulation Controller node to manipulate the wheels of the forklift. In the Property tab:

     • Add the Forklift prim (ie. /Forklift) to its targetPrim input field.

     • For the jointNames input field:

       • Click the Add Element button and enter left_back_wheel_joint in the text field that appears.

       • click the Add Element button again and enter right_back_wheel_joint in the text field that appears.

   • Make Array node to create an array of wheel rotation velocities to feed into the articulation controller. In the Property tab:

     • Under the input0 field click the plus icon to add a second input.

   • Now connect the nodes as shown:

     

6. Add another set of these nodes to the graph and modify them as explained:

   • Articulation Controller node to manipulate the steering angle of the forklift wheels. In the Property tab:

     • Add the Forklift prim (ie. /Forklift) to its targetPrim input field.

     • For the jointNames input field:

       • Click the Add Element button and enter left_rotator_joint in the text field that appears.

       • click the Add Element button again and enter right_rotator_joint in the text field that appears.

   • Make Array node to create an array of wheel angles to feed into the articulation controller. In the Property tab:

     • Under the input0 field click the plus icon to add a second input.

   • Now connect the nodes as shown:

     

7. Hit Play in Isaac Sim to start simulation.

8. In a new terminal, ensure your Isaac Sim ROS workspace is sourced and run the following node to start publishing Ackermann commands.

   ros2 run isaac_tutorials ros2_ackermann_publisher.py
   

   The forklift should move similarly to the one below:

   

Summary

This tutorial covered

1. Creating and setting up Ackermann Controller node and with articulation controller nodes.

2. Adding a ROS2 AckermannDriveStamped subscriber node which feeds commands into the Ackermann Controller node.

Next Steps

Continue on to the next tutorial in our ROS2 Tutorials series, ROS 2 Launch.