On the Configuration of Sensors and Actuators on a Pioneer 3-AT Robot Controlled through the Robotic Operating System ROS

We present a set of technical procedures to carry out experiments involving mobile robots. The hardware and software configuration to access the sensors and actuators in the robots usually turn out to be a relatively complex exercise. The intricacies of dealing with physical hardware connections and the lack of documentation related to software and hardware interfaces may significantly delay the experimental process. The Robotic Operating System (ROS), has become one of the main tools to interface a useful set of devices including several kinds of commercial robots through an IP network. Using Pioneer 3-AT robots we provide a step-by-step explanation of how to attach sensors such as GPS, IMUs, laser-range finders among others, to the robots as well as a couple of sample codes in C++ to operate the robots using ROS libraries.Supported by DOE URPR (University Research Program in Robotics) grant DE-FG52-04NA25590 and by NSF grants ECCS CAREER #0811347, IIS #0812338, CNS #0709329