Overview Requirements How it Works Download ROS

  • The simulator is a physically realistic representation of the ARM robot. Built to work with the open-source Gazebo simulator incorporated into Willow Garage’s open-source Robotic Operating System (ROS) , the ARM simulation software is designed to allow users to develop behavior algorithms and code in exactly the same way they would on the actual ARM robot. Specifically, the ARM simulator emulates the proper behaviors, graphical representations, and physical characteristics of the ARM robot within the Gazebo simulation engine. The Gazebo simulator utilizes an open-source graphics renderer (Ogre) and an open-source physics engine (ODE) to model how the robot interacts with its surroundings, and to visualize both how the world appears and to generate renderings of what different sensors can see.

    • Recommended Hardware Requirements:
    • -Quad-core CPU running at 2.67 GHz
    • -2GB RAM
    • -10GB of free hard disk space
    • -Graphics card that supports OpenGL 3D accelerated rendering
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    • Minimum Hardware Requirements:
    • -Dual-core CPU running at 2.67 GHz
    • -2GB RAM
    • -10GB of free hard disk space
    • -Graphics card that supports OpenGL 3D accelerated rendering
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  • Software Requirements:
  • Ubuntu 9.10 or 10.04 (The simulator has not yet been tested with 10.10)

  • The simulator is installed on top of a standard ROS installation. The simulator runs in Gazebo, one of the standard packages installed with ROS, with a custom model of the robot and controllers to model the WAM arms, the Barrett hands, and the pan-tilt actuators in the head.

    By utilizing standard ROS messages, higher-level applications will not be aware if they are interacting with the real system or the simulated version. Participants will be able to develop applications that process the sensor data and command the simulated robot system to perform various manipulation tasks within the simulated world, and then easily have this software transitioned to run on the robot.