In this project, you will learn to utilize ROS packages to accurately localize a mobile robot inside a provided map in the Gazebo and RViz simulation environments.

Over the course of the project, as part of the Robotics Software Engineer Nanodegree, you will learn about several aspects of robotics with a focus on ROS, including -

• Building a mobile robot for simulated tasks.

• Creating a ROS package that launches a custom r-obot model in a Gazebo world and utilizes packages like AMCL and the Navigation Stack.

• Exploring, adding, and tuning specific parameters corresponding to each package to achieve the best possible localization results.

The project can be complete in the provided Workspace in the Classroom. Alternatively, it can be completed on an Ubuntu System with ROS Kinetic installed on it. Some specific ROS packages might be required in order to complete the project -

$ sudo apt-get install ros-kinetic-navigation
$ sudo apt-get install ros-kinetic-map-server
$ sudo apt-get install ros-kinetic-move-base
$ rospack profile
$ sudo apt-get install ros-kinetic-amcl

Note: We won't be able to provide support for native ROS installations, but you can post in the #ros channel in the ND Slack to start discussions with your fellow students if you face any issues.

Once all the packages are installed, clone the repository on your system and rename the project folder to udacity_bot. However, it is recommended that you follow the Classroom instructions on working through the project instead of cloning the repo.

After completing the project, you can launch it by running the following commands first -

$ cd ~/catkin_ws
$ catkin_make
$ source devel/setup.bash

And then run the following in separate terminals -

$ roslaunch udacity_bot udacity_bot
$ roslaunch udacity_bot amcl
$ rosrun udacity_bot navigation goal