| Date | February 4, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | The First Entry | ||||
|
Well, this is my first entry. The task that was given to me seemed somewhat daunting at first but I feel that I can do this. First off, I need to figure out where to start off. Toying around with ROS should be the first thing I have to do. Good thing that I have a spare laptop that I can get Ubuntu on. The last student who worked on this, Brandon, left a good amount of advice on what do and where to start of I think I'll need to do some reading before I get too deep into what I think I should do. I'm already designing algorithms in my head and I think that could be a hazard. I've already read that one of his tips is to keep it simple. I always seem to have a problem with that... |
|||||
| Date | February 8, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | I need momentum... | ||||
|
I'm hitting a wall. I don't know if I'm coming down with something but I'm really getting confused on what I should focus on. I've gotten most of the software installed on my laptop, but the installation made me realize I will need two seperate computers to start out with. Dealing with Linux again is kind of a pain as well, but after having taken COMPSCI370 - Operating Systems, it's coming back to me. I think that it's just that I'm still getting used to having to do something after break, but I hope this week I finally get back into the groove of the school life. This week, I'm looking to actually get my hands on getting to robot to at least move, if not actually doing something. Maybe even getting a connection would be a good step forward... If my laziness doesn't go away soon, I could be in real trouble... Moral of the story: Procrastination is bad. Kill it with fire. |
|||||
| Date | February 16, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Let's get started! | ||||
|
Finally got my hands on the Turtlebot and was able to toy around with the ROS component. I didn't get to toy around with actually moving it, but I figure once I figure out the backend, it (hopefully) should be downhill from there. This week, I aim to get the robot to move and look and evaluate the algorithms I need to look at more closely. I'm now also seeing the importance of having a private network just for the robot and the computer. Hopefully, this network thing dosen't mess with my progress too much. Moral of the story: Baby steps are a good thing. Don't rush in blind as you might miss tiny details that will harm you in the long run. |
|||||
| Date | February 22, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Progress! (And hardware failure) | ||||
|
I have now gotten the workstation and Turtlebot to talk to each other. I've also gotten the hang of ROS and it's programs so I think that progress from now on should be more with the actual details of the project and not with dealing with small technical issues. I have run into a problem with the Turtlebot itself though as it seems that the camera is not getting enough power to run... I'm going to have to either replace the power cable or find some solution using an external battery. The new cable should get here tomorrow so I can at least get a temporary fix. Moral of the story: Don't be discouraged by setbacks and try to focus on moving forward rather than be sad over the setbacks. |
|||||
| Date | March 2, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Moving forward by going backwards | ||||
|
I've gotten a good handle on how ROS operates and how certain important things with the robot work. The power issues I've had with the Kinect have been mostly resolved, but it has also sprung up new issues that are related to Ubuntu rather than ROS or the Turtlebot. The way I've decided to fix this is to stop focusing on the mantra that newer is better and that I should be using the newest software available. I've got a copy of Ubuntu 12.04 that I will be installing on both laptops and will be installing ROS Hydro over ROS Indigo. These were the version used by Brandon and seemed to work best for him. Not quite the version Joe used in his, but somewhat newer. I think that going back to what I know works for others might help me more than trying to get old hardware to work with new software. I've know the install procedure for ROS like the back of my hand so I should be back to where I was within a day or two. I figure that I can get just as far with this new(old?) installation of Ubuntu and ROS than trying to bash my head against a wall looking at unhelpful answer pages and labyrinthine wikis. Moral of the story: Don't be afraid to go back to the drawing board some times. What you learn from past failure can help achieve future success |
|||||
| Date | March 8, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Finally, nothing but forward progress | ||||
|
After reinstalling Ubuntu 12.04 and ROS Hydro onto both computers, I've gotten everything to work! 3D Sensor works. Moving with the keyboard works. Everything is going smoothly now. Over the spring break, I should be able to perform a nice sprint that lets me catch up to where I should be. Speaking of where I should be, I will be presenting what I have gotten so far done and what I am currently working on. For my presentation I will talking about the methods of which the robot will be building maps and manoeuvring through them. More details about this can be found on the "The Project" page as I don't want to clutter up the blog page." Moral of the story: See? Bad things can be followed by very good things. |
|||||
| Date | March 22, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Not as much progress as I had hoped, but I'm now prepared for it | ||||
|
I was hoping that Spring Break would let me get a real handle on the robot, but I did not have much luck with getting the actual mapping process down. I didn't get it to actually map anything as I fear that a part that is required for mapping is being repaired right now, so I'll have to wait to get the part. However, I did research into what the mapping process looks like and what I will need to do once I have the mapping process down. I don't think it will be that big a jump from making the first map to actual automation, but that's famous last words. I'm hoping that I should get some real success once I get that part in. Moral of the story: If one part is failing on you, look up something else and get that to work. |
|||||
| Date | March 29, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Little Big Progress | ||||
|
Not going to lie, I wasn't able to put in as much time into the project as I would have liked. In this week I had a term research paper draft due, my Public Finance test, submitted my application for an MBA program and started on the side things for that, was inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi honor society, and had my first phone interview about future employment. After all that, I simply didn't have the amount of time needed to devote putting in actual work into it. However, that does not mean I had no progress. I had my first major breakthrough with the partial creation of my first map. That right there is about 75% of the project is managing to get a map made. That simple step was simply amazing and made me feel so good. With Easter break being this week, I feel that I can more than make up for progress not made and maybe even get automation working. Moral of the story: Sometimes progress isn't accompanied by trumpets, but with a kazoo. |
|||||
| Date | April 6, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | I...did it? | ||||
|
I wanted two things to come from this break: 1) I wanted to be able to get a map of my room made. 2) I wanted to be able to get the robot to go to some point on its own. Theoretically, I managed to get both of those done...kind of. I was able to get the bot to make a map of my room, but it was not very accurate as I feel the TurtleBot needs some calibration that I am having trouble getting to work. Aside from the calibration error, it is reading the information from the room correctly, it is just not placing it in the right spot when it turns. Also, I managed to save the map and get the bot to show how it would get to that spot, but it refused to move on its own. I still feel that even though I didn't actually get it to move, it is a work in progress and definitely a step in the right direction. I think that once I can figure out how to get the calibration to work, that I should be able to get it to move the way its supposed to. Moral of the story: Sometimes big theoretical ideas give more information than small applied ones. |
|||||
| Date | April 12, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Enter the Planning Phase | ||||
|
If I was told that I had to present today, I think I could produce something that would show practically everything I would in the end. I've started to plan the presentation in my head so that I can actually begin putting it together shortly. I'm also starting to plan on what I want to leave behind as documentation so that the next person should have a better start than I did. Moral of the story: The end really does creep up on you... |
|||||
| Date | April 19, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Still in the planning phase | ||||
|
More planning. Not much more I can say expect it's finally starting to creep up on me about the fact that I will actually be finished with my CS major in only a few weeks. It's an interesting mix of sadness and accomplishment. Moral of the story: ...I can't really think of one...Sorry. |
|||||
| Date | April 26, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | It's go time | ||||
|
PowerPoint is made. I just need to make a backup video and shortcut sheet and I'm ready for my final presentation. This is really it... Moral of the story: Sometimes everything pays off in the end. |
|||||
| Date | May 11, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | The End | ||||
|
This is my final blog entry. My presentation went pretty well and my defense did as well. I really do feel that I learned quite a lot from my experience with this project. I don't think that I will have an experience like this in a long time. If someone else does get this project in the future, I wish them the best of luck. Feel free to contact me as I will try to help you as much as I can. Thank you for reading this. - Kyle Van Den Heuvel. |
|||||
Design from this website taken from CSCI322 Client/Server Project.