dual_ur_ros_2

This project uses MoveIt2 to control a dual-UR5 system. The repository consists of three parts: robot driver, MoveIt, and human-machine interaction.

Quick Start

ros2 launch ur_robot_driver dual_ur_control.launch.py
ros2 launch dual_ur5_moveit_config dual_ur_moveit_planning.launch.py
ros2 run receive_command receive_command

Robot Driver

Currently, this repo contains two implementations for the robot driver: based on Universal_Robots_ROS2_Driver or ur_rtde.

Recommend: Based on Universal_Robots_ROS2_Driver

1. Configure the IP and ports in ur_robot_driver/launch/dual_ur_control.launch.py.
2. Ensure that the script_command_port matches the port configured in the External Control program on the robot, and make sure the other ports do not conflict.
3. For details on configuring the robot, refer to the "Getting Started - Start & Setup the Robot" section in the Universal_Robots/Universal_Robots_ROS2_Driver repository.
4. After configuration, run:

ros2 launch ur_robot_driver dual_ur_control.launch.py

Based on ur_rtde

It is recommended to use the ur_rtde method only in simulation environments. Compared to the Universal_Robots_ROS2_Driver method, the ur_rtde method lacks safety protections, which may leads to personal risks or robot damage. If you want to use it with a real robot, make sure you fully understand this repository, ur_rtde, and take the risk on your own.

1. Configure the robot IP in dual_ur5_rtde.launch.py, and set the if_use_rtde variable to true in robot_control/src/remote.cpp.
2. Run:

ros2 launch rtde_driver dual_ur5_rtde.launch.py

MoveIt

The move_group_interface is called in robot_control/src/remote.cpp to control the robot. You can modify this file as needed.

To enable MoveIt, use the following command:

ros2 launch dual_ur5_moveit_config dual_ur_moveit_planning.launch.py

The remote.cpp file only creates one move_group_interface to control a single planning_group. In this repository, the robot_control node compiled from remote.cpp is launched in two workspaces separately to control the two arms respectively.

Human-Machine Interaction

In the receive_command package, a keyboard reading program is written to control the robotic arms. Use W/A/S/D/Q/E and I/J/K/L/U/O to control the two robotic arms respectively.
Run following command:

ros2 run receive_command receive_command

This node caputure input from your keyboard. In this terminal you can use W/A/S/D/Q/E and I/J/K/L/U/O to control the robot

Speed Control

Current control method with MoveIt and Universal_Robots_ROS2_Driver is position control. The postion control interface provided by MoveIt is sequential, which means when users call MoveGroupInterface::move or MoveGroupInterface::execute, program will block until robot reaches the given position. When control command is given during the robot is moving, the robot will come to a stop, and than start to move to the second desire pose. Since we want robot move smoothly in most cases, these pauses should be removed.

Speed control is used to slove this problem by using the speedJ function provided by ur_rtde. To use speed control, use the robot driver based on ur_rtde, as described in the Based on ur_rtde section.