ManyMove HMI

This package is part of the manymove project for ROS 2 Humble. It provides a Qt-based GUI and corresponding ROS 2 node(s) to interact with manymove robots, enabling start/stop/reset commands and displaying collision or execution status.

Use at your own risk; this repository is experimental and does not include safety features.

Overview

Key Functionalities

• Qt GUI
  A simple interface (HmiGui) that shows one row of controls (start/stop/reset buttons) and a collision indicator LED per robot.

• ROS 2 Worker Nodes
  Each robot prefix spawns a Ros2Worker node that subscribes to Blackboard status and calls the relevant start/stop/reset services.

• Status Visualization
  Subscribes to <robot_prefix>blackboard_status to display collision detection, mission abort flags, or paused states in real time.

• TCP Broadcast
  Optionally publishes the GUI status (JSON) via a TCP server for external clients.

Architecture

1. hmi_gui.hpp / hmi_gui.cpp
   • Implements the Qt GUI, creating a row of buttons and an indicator per robot prefix.
   • Binds each button to signals that trigger start/stop/reset operations.
2. ros2_worker.hpp / ros2_worker.cpp
   • A minimal ROS 2 node that listens for the Blackboard status topic (<robot_prefix>blackboard_status).
   • Calls the appropriate services (start_execution, stop_execution, reset_program) with a 1-second wait.
3. main.cpp
   • Launches both the Qt application and multiple Ros2Worker instances (one per robot prefix).
   • Uses rclcpp::init and a QApplication.
   • Manages a multi-threaded approach, spinning each Ros2Worker in its own thread.

Installation & Dependencies

Follow the main ManyMove README for overall setup of ROS 2 and Qt dependencies.

Usage

• Launch the HMI

  ros2 run manymove_hmi manymove_hmi_executable
  

By default, it reads a robot_prefixes parameter (vector of strings) to create a row of controls for each prefix.

• Start/Stop/Reset
  • Press START: calls <robot_prefix>start_execution.
  • Press STOP: calls <robot_prefix>stop_execution and updates button states.
  • Press RESET: calls <robot_prefix>reset_program.
• Monitoring
  The GUI automatically updates button states and collision LED when it receives updates from <robot_prefix>blackboard_status.

Notes & Disclaimer

• Experimental: This package is under development; no guarantee of stability.
• No Safety Features: Robot safety must be managed externally.
• Check Main README: For licensing, disclaimers, and more details.