Rapid Exploration Framework [REF]

The REF repository allows the user to test the exploration-planning framework in virtual subterranean cave environment.

Requirements

The REF repository only requires docker. If you do not have docker installed, please follow the docker installation instructions. If you already have docker installed, you can skip this step.

# Add Docker's official GPG key:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install ca-certificates curl gnupg
sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg
sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg

# Add the repository to Apt sources:
echo \
  "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu \
  $(. /etc/os-release && echo "$VERSION_CODENAME") stable" | \
  sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

Test REF in a docker container

The repository contains a Dockerfile that allows the user to build a docker image containing packages for exploration, planning, control and simulation environment.

Clone the REF project

  git clone https://github.com/LTU-RAI/REF.git

Go to the REF directory

  cd REF/docker

Build the docker image with following command. The build process might take some time when building for first time.

  docker build -t REF .

Run the docker container with NVIDIA flags.

  docker run -it --net=host --gpus all --env="NVIDIA_DRIVER_CAPABILITIES=all" --env="DISPLAY" --env="QT_X11_NO_MITSHM=1" --volume="/tmp/.X11-unix:/tmp/.X11-unix:rw" REF:latest

If you do not have NVIDIA GPU :

  docker run -it --net=host  --env="DISPLAY" --env="QT_X11_NO_MITSHM=1" --volume="/tmp/.X11-unix:/tmp/.X11-unix:rw" REF:latest

Once you are inside the docker container, please run the following command to start the REF tmux session. This session will launch the REF sub-modules and a Rviz window to visualize the drone exploring the cave environment.

tmuxinator ref

Acknowledgement

If you find the REF framework useful in your research, please consider citing the REF article.

@article{patel2023ref,
  title={REF: A Rapid Exploration Framework for Deploying Autonomous MAVs in Unknown Environments},
  author={Patel, Akash and Lindqvist, Bj{\"o}rn and Kanellakis, Christoforos and Agha-mohammadi, Ali-akbar and Nikolakopoulos, George},
  journal={Journal of Intelligent \& Robotic Systems},
  volume={108},
  number={3},
  pages={35},
  year={2023},
  publisher={Springer}
}

If you find the global planner useful in your research, please consider citing the DSP article.

@article{karlsson2022d+,
  title={D+∗: A risk aware platform agnostic heterogeneous path planner},
  author={Karlsson, Samuel and Koval, Anton and Kanellakis, Christoforos and Nikolakopoulos, George},
  journal={Expert systems with applications},
  pages={119408},
  year={2022},
  publisher={Elsevier}
}

Authors

@ Akash Patel

Support

If you have any question please feel free to raise an issue or send an email to akash.patel@ltu.se. Thank you for your interest in our work.