DepthAI ROS

This package facilitates the integration of DepthAI and compatible hardware with ROS. List of compatible hardwares can be found here. This package is based on the Gen 1 API for DepthAI and provides an interface for ROS (not ROS2).

This meta-package contains the following packages:

• depthai_ros_driver
• depthai_ros_msgs
• node_interface

Setup

Requirements

Though this metapackage might work on other systems, it has only been tested on:

• Ubuntu 18.04 LTS
• Ubuntu 20.04 LTS

A list of pre-requisites:

• C++ compiler (recommended: g++ or clang with at least C++17 support)
• CMake (3.10.2 or higher)
• Boost (1.65.1 or higher)
• OpenCV (3.2 or higher)
• ROS (melodic or higher)
• ROS Packages (see rospack deps depthai_ros_driver)

Grab the source code

To use depthai_ros metapackage, clone this repo with submodules:

$ git clone --recursive https://github.com/rapyuta-robotics/depthai_ros.git

For older versions of git, one of the following processes might be needed:

• Use --recurse-submodules instead of --recursive
• Clone without any flags and then grab the submodules using git submodule update --init --recursive

Grab the Neural Network Model

• Prepare MobileNetSSD compatible model (blob and json file). Once issue #5 is resolved, this will not be necessary for a default model. Due to limitations of Gen1 API used in the ROS driver, a model is required to run it.

Sample models are available here

Usage

0. Compile using catkin build depthai_ros or catkin_make_isolated --build depthai_ros. catkin_make will not build the package successfully.
1. Execute ./deploy_udev_rules.sh present in ~/depthai_ros/depthai_ros_driver/scripts.
2. Launch the node or nodelet by appropriately choosing the correct launch file and parameters:

   roslaunch depthai_ros_driver depthai_{node,nodelet}.launch
   

3. Custom models can be provided using blob_file and blob_file_config arguments to the launch file. If an argument A needs value B, the syntax is roslaunch <launch_file> A:=B
4. Get the relevant details using:

   $ rostopic list /depthai
   $ rosservice list /depthai
   $ rosparam list /depthai
   

Trouble shooting

If you see an error similar to this:

Stream not opened: config_d2h
Available streams: []
device is not initialized
Pipeline is not created.
No USB device [03e7:2485], still looking... 0.401s [FOUND]
Sending internal device firmware
Successfully connected to device.

Try forcing USB2 mode using <roslaunch as before> force_usb2:=true

Details

depthai_ros_msgs

This package contains all the custom messages and services used by the depthai_ros_driver API. While we tried to use the standard messages where possible, due to the unique hardware, it wasn't possible to stick with the standard messages everywhere.

depthai_ros_driver

This package consists of a node and a nodelet version of the ROS driver. It also contains the launch files required for an easy use.

node_interface

This package contains some utilities used to reduce code duplication between the node and the nodelet version in depthai_ros_driver.