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Frequently Asked Questions

General​

  1. How do I start, pause or stop a mission?

    A mission can be started in a few different ways, i) through the web user interface (See Mission Execution) or, ii) through the ROS API (See API Examples).

  2. When I start a mission the UGV does not move. What could be the problem?

    There could be one of several reasons for why this is happening:

    1. Check that none of the onboard Motion-Stop actuators are activated.
    2. Check that none of the wireless Motion-Stops are engaged. This can be checked via the UI (a red Status Indicator means Motion-Stop is engaged) or the onboard UGV lights (will flash when Motion-Stop is engaged).
    3. If OutdoorNav is running on a Clearpath Robotics Warthog UGV that is programmed with a Futaba controller, then ensure that the controller is turned off. If it is on then it will be sending "no motion" commands that will be overriding the autonomy commands.
    4. Check the task settings for each Waypoint in the Mission. A missing task setting for a Move PTZ task will block the execution of the Mission it is in.

  3. What version of ROS is compatible with OutdoorNav?

    Currently OutdoorNav is developed in ROS 1 (and is built in Docker containers on top of ROS 1 Noetic). So, the recommended ROS version is ROS 1 Noetic. However, although not recommended, it is still possible to use ROS 1 Melodic. Some issues may arise related to the mismatched message types. Also, if trying to run any python scripts as Melodic targets Python2, whereas Noetic targets Python3.

    Finally, official ROS 2 compatibility is currently unsupported. In theory, if you only have ROS 2 installed on your system, you can try to install ROS 1 Noetic as well and set up a ros1_to_ros2 bridge. Since the OutdoorNav software is packaged in Dockers, it will communicate directly ROS 1 and then the data can be redirected by the ros1_to_ros2 bridge to ROS 2.

  4. How can I record ROS data?

    There are two ways to record ROS data. The first is through the UI and the second is the more traditional method of accessing the command line of the UGV's computer and running rosbag record commands.

  5. Where do all the video/audio/images get saved from the mission tasks?

    All of the data that gets saved (ROSbags, video recordings, audio recordings, and saved images) gets stored on UGV's computer at the following location: /opt/onav/saved_files/...

Autonomy​

  1. Am I able to send the UGV on a repeated loop?

    When generating a single mission on the UI or through the API, it is not possible for the mission to start at the location of the robot and end at the location of the robot. This has to do with the navigation thinking that the UGV has already arrived at its goal and will not generate a path through the Waypoints. However, it is possible to split the mission into two missions (ie. one to go to a location and the second to return to the starting point). With these two missions you will then either be able to send each mission one after the other or you can use the Mission Scheduler. Add the two missions to the schedule and you will have the ability to also repeat this loop as many times as needed.

  2. Why is surveying failing?

    There are several checks that should be done:

    • Check that the base station is powered on, and that all the devices inside are powered on.
    • From the UGV's computer, check that you can ping the base station.
ping 192.168.131.30

  If all of these tests PASS, contact Support.

  1. Is it possible to increase the maximum velocity of the UGV?

    The OutdoorNav software has been tune for specific maximum velocities depending on the platform, 1.2 m/s, 1.0 m/s and 2.0 m/s for Jackal, Husky and Warthog UGVs, respectively. The Husky maximum velocity is 1.0 m/s so increasing above this is not possible however if you would like to increase the maximum velocity for either the Jackal or the Warthog, further tuning may be required. Consult the tuning guide and contact Support if required.

  2. My robot it detecting too many obstacles and replanning too frequently. How can I resolve this?

    Please consult the Limitations section of the collisison avoidance feature. It will describe some limits to the obstaacle detection and can help you improve the smoothness of the navigation.

  3. I am getting a 'Robot too far off path warning'. What should I do?

    These types of warnings appear on the UI under two conditions: i) If the robot indicator (blue arrow on the UI) is not within 3.0 meters of the first Waypoint (the Green one on the UI). ii) If the robot is outside of the allowable navigable space (defined by the path contraint, default: 3.0 meters around the reference path). Enable the visualization of the path contraint and Teleop the robot back into the navigable space.

  4. How can I remove certain sensors from the collision avoidance pipeline?

    If your robot is equipped with collision avoidance sensors (eg. Velodyne, Hokuyo, Sick LMS), it is possible to enable/disable the throughput of each sensor data into the collision avoidance pipeline. Consult the Collision Avoidance section for these instructions.

  5. Can I use OutdoorNav without using the UI?

    We empower customers to send mission via either the UI or our ROS 1 API. Through this API, you are enabled to write either CPP code or Python scripts where you would generate your mission, survey the base station, set the datum, assign custom tasks to your mission. If using Python, we provide a set of libraries that speed up the develpment process. See some of the example codes for an idea of how to generate these scripts.

Web User Interface​

  1. How do I delete a waypoint on the UI?

    Make sure the Edit Missions toggle is enabled, then click the Waypoint Mode button. Now you can click the Waypoint you wish to delete. A drop down list will appear. Select Delete.

  2. How do I add a Task to a Waypoint on the UI?

    See Add Task to Waypoint for information on how to add a Task to a Waypoint.

  3. Why is the "Save Image" Task failing?

    Check the Waypoints that have a Save Image task in the Waypoint panel. If you see a red warning triangle beside the Save Image task it means that the settings for this task were not properly set. Set them and rerun the mission.

  4. Are we able to make any changes to the UI?

    Unfortunately, users are not currently enabled to make modifications to the user interface. This feature will be available in a future release. Please direct any feature requests to Support.

  5. What to do if my custom task is not working?

    Ensure that you have followed the Custom Tasks instructions. When adding the custom task to a Waypoint, it is important to double check that all the fields for your custom task are correct.

  6. Why are either of the GNSS Status indicator (POS and/or DIR) on the UI not Green?

    i) If the POS indicator is YELLOW, and you are using an RTK base station: - Check communication between the robot and the base station by pinging 192.168.131.30 (from the UGV's computer) - Re-survey the base station - Access the Swift Console using the both the base station IP (192.168.131.30) and the position unit IP (192.168.131.31) and ensure that certain settings are set correctly: On the base station unit: 1) surveyed_position/broadcast = True tcp_server1/mode = SBP tcp_server1/enabled sbp messages = 72,74,117,65535,114 tcp_server1/address = 55556 On the position unit: 2) tcp_client0/mode = SBP tcp_client0/enabled sbp messages = 0 tcp_client0/address = 192.168.131.30:55556 ii) If the POS indicator is RED: - Check communication between the robot and the position GNSS unit by pinging 192.168.131.31 (from the UGV's computer) - Access the Swift Console using the position unit IP (192.168.131.31) and ensure that the unit is working by checking that satellites are being tracked in the "Tracking" tab.

    iii) If the DIR indicator is YELLOW, - Access the Swift Console using the position unit IP (192.168.131.31) and the heading unit IP (192.168.131.32), and ensure that certain settings are set correctly: On the position unit: 1) tcp_server1/mode = SBP tcp_server1/enabled sbp messages = 74,117 tcp_server1/address = 55556 On the heading unit: 2) tcp_client0/mode = SBP tcp_client0/enabled sbp messages = 0 tcp_client0/address = 192.168.131.31:55556 solution/dgnss_solution_mode = Time Matched solution/heading offset = 0 solution/send heading = True solution/soln freq = 5 solution/output ever n obs = 1

    iv) If the DIR indicator is RED: - Check communication between the robot and the position GNSS unit by pinging 192.168.131.31 (from the UGV's computer)

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