Starting up

Please follow these instructions when switching on Fetch. This page describes how to physically start the robot and what software needs to be launched. Moreover, it provides checklists to ensure a successful startup.

Before Checklist

Warning

Before doing anything with Fetch, always verify that the breaker switch at the back of the robot is set to on (I).

Ensure that

  • Robot and its Remote control are fully charged.

  • The charging device is disconnected.

Hardware

  1. Release emergency stop button at the side (if not already released).

  2. Press the power button.

    LED around the switch becomes white, robot powers on and its computers boot up.

  3. Wait for the robot and its components to boot up completely.

    Robot’s arm should be in gravity compensation mode, i.e., easy to move.

  4. Connect the remote control to the robot by pressing the round central button.

    Remote vibrates as it connects, red LED indicates first channel is used.

Software

Most components (i.e., basic bringup, navigation, perception, Remote control) are automatically started on the robot at boot time. Therefore, you normally do not need to access the robot’s computer. You can run other components (e.g., visualization, behaviour control) on your desired study/demo computer.

Study/demo computer

You can use any computer that is connected to the house’s network and correctly configured to use the robot’s roscore to start behavioral components. In most cases though, you would probably prefer to use one of the workstations inside Robot House (see Network overview), typically char in the living room, shakuras in the office, or tarsonis in the bedroom. All of them are configured correctly and have the necessary software installed.

You can also log into the robot via Secure shell without having to type in a password from all Robot House computers if you are logged in as the demo user.

Note

Please contact the key team members if you need to request access to the robot from your personal account.

  1. Setup your terminal’s Robot environment to Fetch and set a ROS IP:

    $ robot_env fetch
$ ros_ip

    Note

    Make sure to configure each terminal in which you plan to run software that communicates with the robot.

  2. Start RViz for a robot visualization:

    $ roslaunch uh_fetch rviz.launch

  3. Start any additional components that you are using for behavior generation.

After Checklist

Ensure that RViz is in sync with the robot

  • The robot’s position on the map is correct (if you use the navigation). You can adjust the robot position and orientation by using the 2D Pose Estimate button.