- Book spine width: Books have returned to 3cm wide to match the physical build. Please update your parameters accordingly.
- Number markers: Markers have been added to the top shelf row of each column for better visibility from the TIAGo Pro.
- Updated launch files: The simulation launch files have been updated to include the Round 1 and Round 2 environments:
ros2 launch erc_bringup simulation_round_1.launch.py # Round 1 environment
ros2 launch erc_bringup simulation_round_2.launch.py # Round 2 environment- Competition Rules Update: Book spine width reduced from 3cm to 2cm. Please update parameters accordingly.
- Manipulation: A possible workaround to issue #2 is using the position controller and the effort interface feedback from the gripper to keep publishing position in a closed-loop. This produces the following video:
tiago_pro_book_grip_test.webm
Library Assistant Robot challenge: Autonomous book retrieval using a TIAGo Pro mobile manipulator.
- x86_64 (amd64) architecture. ARM-based hosts (e.g. Apple Silicon) are not supported
- Linux host (Ubuntu 22.04/24.04 recommended) with X11
- Docker Engine + Docker Compose v2
- Git
- NVIDIA GPU + nvidia-container-toolkit for GPU-accelerated rendering # Rendering is slow but possible without NVIDIA GPU
- ~15GB free disk space
Note: The default ROS_DOMAIN_ID is 23. If you are running multiple ROS 2 environments on the same network, ensure there are no domain ID conflicts.
All dependencies are vendored in this repository — there is no separate dependency-fetching step, and no network access is needed after cloning.
# — Host terminal —
./docker/up.sh --build # Build image & start container
./docker/attach.sh # Open shell inside container
# — Inside container (after attach) —
colcon build --symlink-install # Build workspace packages (first run takes several minutes)
source install/setup.bash # Source the workspace
ros2 launch erc_bringup simulation.launch.py # Launch Gazebo + robotTo open additional terminals into the running container:
# — Host terminal — # Navigate to the repository root (where "docker/", "src/", and "docs/" are located)
./docker/attach.sh # Do NOT run ./docker/up.sh again as this will kill your running containerThe video below is a visual guide for the above steps.
erc_code_run_trimmed_2.mp4
TIAGo Pro by PAL Robotics — omnidirectional mobile manipulator.
Hardware in simulation:
- Omnidirectional mecanum base (4 mecanum wheels, full holonomic motion)
- Two 7-DOF arms (left and right) with PAL Pro grippers
- Pan-tilt head (2 DOF)
- Prismatic torso lift
- Intel RealSense D435i RGB-D camera (head-mounted)
- Two 270° LiDARs (front and rear, base-mounted)
- IMU (base)
The base is driven by the Gazebo MecanumDrive plugin. Publish a standard Twist message to move the robot in any direction.
| Topic | Type | Direction | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
/cmd_vel |
geometry_msgs/Twist |
Subscriber | Base velocity (linear.x, linear.y, angular.z) |
/odom |
nav_msgs/Odometry |
Publisher | Wheel odometry |
Examples:
# Drive forward
ros2 topic pub /cmd_vel geometry_msgs/msg/Twist "{linear: {x: 0.3, y: 0.0}, angular: {z: 0.0}}" --rate 10
# Strafe left
ros2 topic pub /cmd_vel geometry_msgs/msg/Twist "{linear: {x: 0.0, y: 0.3}, angular: {z: 0.0}}" --rate 10
# Rotate in place
ros2 topic pub /cmd_vel geometry_msgs/msg/Twist "{linear: {x: 0.0, y: 0.0}, angular: {z: 0.5}}" --rate 10
# Diagonal movement (forward + left)
ros2 topic pub /cmd_vel geometry_msgs/msg/Twist "{linear: {x: 0.3, y: 0.3}, angular: {z: 0.0}}" --rate 10All joint controllers use joint_trajectory_controller/JointTrajectoryController via ros2_control. Send trajectories using the action interface or the topic shortcut.
| Controller | Topic | Joints |
|---|---|---|
arm_left_controller |
/arm_left_controller/joint_trajectory |
arm_left_1_joint .. arm_left_7_joint |
arm_right_controller |
/arm_right_controller/joint_trajectory |
arm_right_1_joint .. arm_right_7_joint |
gripper_left_controller_raw |
/gripper_left_controller_raw/joint_trajectory |
gripper_left_finger_joint |
gripper_right_controller_raw |
/gripper_right_controller_raw/joint_trajectory |
gripper_right_finger_joint |
head_controller |
/head_controller/joint_trajectory |
head_1_joint, head_2_joint |
torso_controller |
/torso_controller/joint_trajectory |
torso_lift_joint |
joint_state_broadcaster |
/joint_states |
All joints (read-only) |
Examples:
# — Left arm: move joint 1 to 0.5 rad —
ros2 topic pub --once /arm_left_controller/joint_trajectory trajectory_msgs/msg/JointTrajectory \
"{joint_names: [arm_left_1_joint, arm_left_2_joint, arm_left_3_joint, arm_left_4_joint, \
arm_left_5_joint, arm_left_6_joint, arm_left_7_joint], \
points: [{positions: [0.5, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0], time_from_start: {sec: 2}}]}"
# — Right arm: move joint 1 to -0.5 rad —
ros2 topic pub --once /arm_right_controller/joint_trajectory trajectory_msgs/msg/JointTrajectory \
"{joint_names: [arm_right_1_joint, arm_right_2_joint, arm_right_3_joint, arm_right_4_joint, \
arm_right_5_joint, arm_right_6_joint, arm_right_7_joint], \
points: [{positions: [-0.5, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0], time_from_start: {sec: 2}}]}"
# — Left gripper: close (0.0 = closed, 0.04 = open) —
ros2 topic pub --once /gripper_left_controller/joint_trajectory trajectory_msgs/msg/JointTrajectory \
"{joint_names: [gripper_left_finger_joint], \
points: [{positions: [0.0], time_from_start: {sec: 1}}]}"
# — Left gripper: open —
ros2 topic pub --once /gripper_left_controller/joint_trajectory trajectory_msgs/msg/JointTrajectory \
"{joint_names: [gripper_left_finger_joint], \
points: [{positions: [0.04], time_from_start: {sec: 1}}]}"
# — Right gripper: close —
ros2 topic pub --once /gripper_right_controller/joint_trajectory trajectory_msgs/msg/JointTrajectory \
"{joint_names: [gripper_right_finger_joint], \
points: [{positions: [0.0], time_from_start: {sec: 1}}]}"
# — Right gripper: open —
ros2 topic pub --once /gripper_right_controller/joint_trajectory trajectory_msgs/msg/JointTrajectory \
"{joint_names: [gripper_right_finger_joint], \
points: [{positions: [0.04], time_from_start: {sec: 1}}]}"
# — Head: pan left 0.5 rad, tilt down 0.3 rad —
ros2 topic pub --once /head_controller/joint_trajectory trajectory_msgs/msg/JointTrajectory \
"{joint_names: [head_1_joint, head_2_joint], \
points: [{positions: [0.5, -0.3], time_from_start: {sec: 1}}]}"
# — Torso: raise to 0.3 m —
ros2 topic pub --once /torso_controller/joint_trajectory trajectory_msgs/msg/JointTrajectory \
"{joint_names: [torso_lift_joint], \
points: [{positions: [0.3], time_from_start: {sec: 2}}]}"| Topic | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
/scan_front_raw |
sensor_msgs/msg/LaserScan |
Front LiDAR |
/scan_rear_raw |
sensor_msgs/msg/LaserScan |
Rear LiDAR |
/head_front_camera/head_front_camera/color/image_raw |
sensor_msgs/msg/Image |
Head RGB camera |
/head_front_camera/head_front_camera/color/camera_info |
sensor_msgs/msg/CameraInfo |
Head RGB camera info |
/head_front_camera/head_front_camera/depth/image_rect_raw |
sensor_msgs/msg/Image |
Head depth camera (float32) |
/head_front_camera/head_front_camera/depth/camera_info |
sensor_msgs/msg/CameraInfo |
Head depth camera info |
/head_front_camera/head_front_camera/depth/color/points |
sensor_msgs/msg/PointCloud2 |
|
/base_imu |
sensor_msgs/msg/Imu |
Base IMU |
/contacts |
ros_gz_interfaces/msg/Contacts |
Contact sensor |
/bin_contacts |
ros_gz_interfaces/msg/Contacts |
| Sensor | Parameter | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Head RGB camera | Resolution | 640 × 360 px |
| Horizontal FOV | 1.518 rad (87°) | |
| Vertical FOV | 0.977 rad (56°) | |
| Update rate | 30 Hz | |
| Head depth camera | Resolution | 640 × 360 px |
| Depth range | 0.2 – 8.0 m | |
| Update rate | 30 Hz | |
| Front / Rear LiDAR | Model | SICK TIM551 (gpu_lidar) |
| FOV | ~270° | |
| Range | 0.05 – 25.0 m | |
| Samples | 818 (0.33°/step) | |
| Update rate | 10 Hz | |
| Base IMU | Update rate | 100 Hz |
| Component | Version |
|---|---|
| ROS 2 | Humble |
| Gazebo | Harmonic |
| Physics engine | DART |
| DDS | CycloneDDS |
| Robot description | PAL Robotics (vendored, see above) |
| Controller framework | ros2_control + gz_ros2_control |
| Package | Upstream | Branch |
|---|---|---|
launch_pal |
https://github.com/pal-robotics/launch_pal | master |
pal_urdf_utils |
https://github.com/pal-robotics/pal_urdf_utils | humble-devel |
pal_gripper |
https://github.com/pal-robotics/pal_gripper | humble-devel |
pal_pro_gripper |
https://github.com/pal-robotics/pal_pro_gripper | humble-devel |
tiago_pro_robot |
https://github.com/pal-robotics/tiago_pro_robot | humble-devel |
pal_sea_arm |
https://github.com/pal-robotics/pal_sea_arm | humble-devel |
tiago_pro_head_robot |
https://github.com/pal-robotics/tiago_pro_head_robot | humble-devel |
omni_base_robot |
https://github.com/pal-robotics/omni_base_robot | humble-devel |
gz_ros2_control |
https://github.com/ros-controls/gz_ros2_control | humble |
The robot URDF is generated from PAL's xacro sources with Gazebo Harmonic patches applied and saved to src/erc_description/urdf/tiago_pro.urdf which is accessible on the host for inspection. Because the workspace is built with --symlink-install, the URDF is picked up immediately when created with no rebuild required.
If you notice a bug, an error in the documentation, or anything in the code that needs changing, please submit an issue on the repository rather than reporting it elsewhere. This keeps all known issues visible and traceable for both participants and organisers.
- In the "Title" field, type a title for your issue.
- In the comment body field, type a description of your issue. To cross-reference a related discussion, paste the discussion's URL into the issue description.
Before opening a new issue, search existing issues to check whether it has already been reported. When describing your issue, include:
- Steps to reproduce the problem
- Expected vs. actual behaviour
- Relevant terminal output or logs
- Your host environment (OS, GPU,
ROS_DOMAIN_IDif changed from default)
CycloneDDS serialization warnings (serdata.cpp errors about null-terminated strings) — these are harmless noise from large message serialization. They don't affect functionality.
Robot not spawning — wait at least 5 seconds after Gazebo starts. The spawn is on a 3-second timer, books on a 5-second timer, and controllers on an 8-second timer.
Controllers not activating — check that erc_bringup was built: colcon build --symlink-install --packages-select erc_bringup && source install/setup.bash
Base not strafing (lateral movement) — ensure you're publishing to /cmd_vel with linear.y set. The mecanum drive requires the anisotropic friction parameters injected into the URDF by generate_urdf.py.
Build errors after mixing build flags — always build with --symlink-install. Mixing symlink and non-symlink builds leaves stale artifacts; recover with rm -rf build/ install/ log/ and rebuild.
Rebuild after Dockerfile changes — run ./docker/up.sh --build to rebuild the image.