Patrolling Robot using ROS2 Navigation

An autonomous patrol robot implementation for monitoring parking lot compliance using ROS2 Humble.

Overview

This project implements an autonomous patrol robot capable of navigating a grocery store parking lot and detecting improperly parked vehicles. Built using ROS2 Humble, the system leverages SLAM for localization and Nav2 for autonomous navigation.

Key Features

• Custom Robot Design: 2-wheel differential drive robot built with XACRO
• Sensor Integration: LIDAR and camera sensors for environment perception
• Custom Environment: Gazebo-simulated grocery store parking lot
• SLAM Localization: Real-time mapping and localization using SLAM Toolbox
• Autonomous Navigation: Nav2-based path planning with 2D goal pose control
• Violation Detection: Automated detection and reporting of parking violations

System Architecture

┌─────────────┐     ┌──────────────┐     ┌─────────────┐
│   Gazebo    │────▶│  SLAM Toolbox│────▶│    Nav2     │
│ Simulation  │     │  (Mapping)   │     │ (Planning)  │
└─────────────┘     └──────────────┘     └─────────────┘
       │                    │                     │
       └────────────────────┴─────────────────────┘
                            │
                      ┌─────▼──────┐
                      │   RViz2    │
                      │(Visualization)
                      └────────────┘

Technical Stack

• ROS2: Humble Hawksbill
• Simulation: Gazebo Classic
• Visualization: RViz2
• Localization: SLAM Toolbox
• Navigation: Nav2 Stack
• Robot Description: XACRO/URDF

Installation

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/Patrolling-Robot-using-ROS2-Navigation.git
cd Patrolling-Robot-using-ROS2-Navigation

# Build workspace
colcon build --symlink-install
source install/setup.bash

Usage

Launch Simulation

ros2 launch patrol_robot gazebo.launch.py

Generate Map (SLAM)

ros2 launch patrol_robot slam.launch.py

Autonomous Navigation

ros2 launch patrol_robot navigation.launch.py

Set navigation goals using the 2D Goal Pose tool in RViz2.

Functionality

The robot continuously patrols designated areas of the parking lot. When vehicles are detected in restricted zones:

• Console Alert: Violation message published to /parking_violations
• Coordinate Logging: Precise location (x, y, θ) of the violating vehicle
• Real-time Monitoring: Continuous surveillance during patrol routes

Project Structure

patrol_robot/
├── config/          # Navigation and SLAM parameters
├── description/     # URDF/XACRO robot models
├── launch/          # Launch files
├── maps/            # Generated maps
├── worlds/          # Gazebo world files
└── src/             # Source code

Dependencies

• ros-humble-gazebo-ros-pkgs
• ros-humble-slam-toolbox
• ros-humble-navigation2
• ros-humble-nav2-bringup
• ros-humble-robot-state-publisher

Acknowledgments

Course: Robotic Operating Systems
Institution: [Amrita University]