ROS (Robot Operating System) is a flexible framework for writing robot software. It integrates a rich set of tools and libraries, providing a solid foundation for building complex robot applications. Yahboom provide a variety of robot platforms, sensor modules to help users achieve transition from simple projects to complex systems.
Is there ROS 2 Jazzy drivers for the X3 Mecanum robot?
Is the odometry (translation and heading) with mecanum wheels as accurate as differential drive wheels?
My current robot does not drive straight but the encoders claim it went straight due to really sloppy motors. - does the X3 mecanum wheeled bot drive straight? (dY < 1cm after dX of 1 meter, preferably even better. dHeading < 2 degrees )
Theoretically, the odometer error of the Mecanum wheel will be slightly larger than that of the differential drive wheel, but it mainly depends on the accuracy of the hardware
It is not guaranteed to go in a completely straight line. Each motor will have a little difference, and the error can be within 10%. If the error is large, you can try to break the encoder on the motor inward a little bit.
Thank you for responding. I have been working with robots as a hobbyist every day for the last seven years, and it feels very rewarding to hear answers direct from a robot vendor. Active vendor support is my most important requirement when considering a new robot platform. (I actually have switched three times in the last two years and have not found a “best robot for me” solution yet.)
As to your point 1) “developed based on ROS2 Foxy”, since the End-Of-Life date for Foxy was 18 months ago (May 2023), I was hoping that Yahboom was maintaining a current long term release ROS 2 LTS version either ROS 2 Humble, or preferably ROS 2 Jazzy since Jazzy would not require running in Docker on a Raspberry Pi 5.
I’m sure Docker containers simplify vendor support, but as a daily robot user I find running ROS 2 in Docker makes some operations complex or impossible:
I cannot adjust the sound volume of my robot’s text-to-speech from inside the container.
I cannot force a shutdown from inside the container.
I cannot initiate the Raspberry Pi Real Time Clock “sleep” function from inside the container.
Everytime I require a new package to be installed, I have to rebuild my Docker container so that the install is not lost at power-off.
Everytime I remote into the robot I have to then attach to the Docker container before I can execute any ROS CLI command-line-interface queries or management operations.
Running ROS 2 in Docker means I have to keep two operating systems updated regularly, and complicates my weekly backups.
Operating ROS 2 in Docker is not a “show stopper” for me but not having at least ROS 2 Humble drivers is.
Additionally, with Gazebo Classic EOL just one month away (Jan 31, 2025) the ROS 2 community is very focused on migrating to the new Gazebo Sim. Several other ROS 2 robot vendors have already tackled this challenge for their users. This is a major, major change for new ROS 2 users to navigate on their own.
Yahboom Tech support of ROS 2 on their variety of platforms is very admirable, and very important.
Thank you.
My robot’s architecture is complicated by running ROS 2 Humble over Raspberry Pi 64-bit Bookworm on a Pi5 and a total lack of ROS 2 support by its vendor:
