AWS DeepRacer control package for the Follow the Leader (FTL) sample project

Overview

The AWS DeepRacer control ROS package creates the ctrl_node, which is part of the Follow the Leader (FTL) sample project and launches from the ftl_launcher. This package was extended and modified from the AWS DeepRacer control ROS package developed for the core application. For more information, see the Follow the Leader (FTL) sample project.

This is the main node with services exposed to be used by webserver backend API calls. This node in the AWS DeepRacer application manages the different modes of the device [manual, autonomous, calibration]. It allows you to maintain the device in a single mode at any point in time so that the overlapping functionalities (such as servo messages) do not conflict with each other. In this package, an additional followtheleader mode has been added to support the FTL sample project.

License

The source code is released under Apache 2.0.

Installation

Follow these steps to install the AWS DeepRacer control package for the Follow the Leader (FTL) sample project.

Prerequisites

The AWS DeepRacer device comes with all the prerequisite packages and libraries installed to run the FTL sample project. For more information about the preinstalled set of packages and libraries on the AWS DeepRacer, and about installing the required build systems, see Getting started.

The ctrl_pkg specifically depends on the following ROS 2 packages as build and run dependencies:

1. deepracer_interfaces_pkg: This package contains the custom message and service type definitions used across the AWS DeepRacer core application, modified to support the FTL sample project.
2. camera_pkg: The AWS DeepRacer camera ROS package creates the camera_node, which is part of the core AWS DeepRacer application.
3. servo_pkg: The AWS DeepRacer servo ROS package creates the servo_node, which is part of the core AWS DeepRacer application.
4. inference_pkg: The AWS DeepRacer inference ROS package creates the inference_node, which is part of the core AWS DeepRacer application.
5. model_optimizer_pkg: The AWS DeepRacer model optimizer ROS package creates the model_optimizer_node, which is part of the core AWS DeepRacer application.
6. deepracer_navigation_pkg: The AWS DeepRacer navigation ROS package creates the deepracer_navigation_node, which is part of the core AWS DeepRacer application.

Downloading and building

Open a terminal on the AWS DeepRacer device and run the following commands as the root user.

1. Switch to the root user before you source the ROS 2 installation:

    sudo su
   

2. Source the ROS 2 Foxy setup bash script:

    source /opt/ros/foxy/setup.bash 
   

3. Set the environment variables required to run Intel OpenVino scripts:

    source /opt/intel/openvino_2021/bin/setupvars.sh
   

4. Create a workspace directory for the package:

    mkdir -p ~/deepracer_ws
    cd ~/deepracer_ws
   

5. Clone the entire FTL sample project on the AWS DeepRacer device:

    git clone https://github.com/aws-deepracer/aws-deepracer-follow-the-leader-sample-project.git
    cd ~/deepracer_ws/aws-deepracer-follow-the-leader-sample-project/deepracer_follow_the_leader_ws/
   

6. Fetch the unreleased dependencies:

    cd ~/deepracer_ws/aws-deepracer-follow-the-leader-sample-project/deepracer_follow_the_leader_ws/
    rosws update
   

7. Resolve the dependencies:

    cd ~/deepracer_ws/aws-deepracer-follow-the-leader-sample-project/deepracer_follow_the_leader_ws/ && apt-get update
    rosdep install -i --from-path . --rosdistro foxy -y
   

8. Build the ctrl_pkg, camera_pkg, servo_pkg, inference_pkg, model_optimizer_pkg, deepracer_navigation_pkg, and deepracer_interfaces_pkg:

    cd ~/deepracer_ws/aws-deepracer-follow-the-leader-sample-project/deepracer_follow_the_leader_ws/ && colcon build --packages-select ctrl_pkg camera_pkg servo_pkg inference_pkg model_optimizer_pkg deepracer_navigation_pkg deepracer_interfaces_pkg
   

Using the control node

The ctrl_node provides basic system level functionality for the AWS DeepRacer application and the FTL sample project to work. Although the node is built to work with the AWS DeepRacer application and the FTL sample project, you can run it independently for development, testing, and debugging purposes.

Running the node

To launch the built ctrl_node as the root user on the AWS DeepRacer device, open another terminal on the device and run the following commands as the root user.

1. Switch to the root user before you source the ROS 2 installation:

    sudo su
   

2. Navigate to the FTL workspace:

    cd ~/deepracer_ws/aws-deepracer-follow-the-leader-sample-project/deepracer_follow_the_leader_ws/
   

3. Source the ROS 2 Foxy setup bash script:

    source /opt/ros/foxy/setup.bash 
   

4. Source the setup script for the installed packages:

    source ~/deepracer_ws/aws-deepracer-follow-the-leader-sample-project/deepracer_follow_the_leader_ws/install/setup.bash 
   

5. Launch the ctrl_node using the launch script:

    ros2 launch ctrl_pkg ctrl_pkg_launch.py
   

Launch files

The ctrl_node provides the core functionality to manage the device’s different operation modes. The package also includes ctrl_pkg_launch.py, an example of how to launch the nodes independently from the core application.

    from launch import LaunchDescription
    from launch_ros.actions import Node


    def generate_launch_description():
        return LaunchDescription([
            Node(
                package='ctrl_pkg',
                namespace='ctrl_pkg',
                executable='ctrl_node',
                name='ctrl_node'
            )
        ])

Node details

ctrl_node

Subscribed topics

Published topics

Service clients

Services

Resources

• Getting started with AWS DeepRacer OpenSource
• Getting started with the Follow the Leader (FTL) sample project