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🟢 First Run

Everything installed? Great — let's make sure your LIMO Pro + MyCobot + YOLO system is alive, communicating, and ready for its first mission.

🚀 Launch the Full System​

From your workspace root (e.g., ~/krish_ws/):

source install/setup.bash
ros2 launch full_system full_system.launch.py

🔄 What Happens During Startup​

The full_system.launch.py file uses TimerAction sequencing to bring up subsystems in the correct order:

1. LIMO Base Bringup (limo_start.launch.py)​

  • Initializes motors, IMU, and base communication
  • Expected log:
[limo_bringup] [INFO] LIMO base initialized and ready.

2. Orbbec Camera Node (dabai.launch.py)​

  • Starts RGB-D streaming on /camera/color/image_raw and /camera/depth/image_raw
  • Expected log:
[orbbec_camera] [INFO] Camera connected. Streaming at 1920x1080 RGB, 640x480 Depth.

3. YOLO Object Detector (yolo_detector)​

  • Loads your trained weights
  • Publishes annotated images to /yolo/annotated and target poses to /target_pose
  • Expected log:
[yolo_nav_detector] [INFO] ✅ YOLO detector node initialized with synchronized inputs.

4. Nav2 Navigation Stack (limo_nav2.launch.py)​

  • Loads map (map11.yaml) and starts planners/controllers
  • Expected log:
[nav2_controller] [INFO] Nav2 bringup complete. Ready for navigation goals.

5. Pose Setter (pose_setter.py)​

  • Automatically publishes the robot's initial AMCL pose
  • Expected log:
[pose_setter] [INFO] ✅ Initial pose published at (-0.78, -0.23, 0.14 rad)

6. Mission Manager (mission_manager.py)​

  • Begins waypoint exploration and waits for YOLO interrupts
  • Expected log:
[mission_manager] [INFO] 🟢 Exploration node ready.
[mission_manager] [INFO] 🚀 Navigating to: (0.37, -0.10, -13.3°)

7. RQT Image View (optional)​

  • GUI for visualizing camera feeds

✅ How to Verify Everything is Working​

1. Check ROS2 Nodes​

ros2 node list

You should see:

/yolo_nav_detector
/mission_manager
/pose_setter
/camera_node
/amcl
/nav2_controller
/nav2_planner
/bt_navigator
/waypoint_follower
/lifecycle_manager

2. Check Topic List​

ros2 topic list

Expected key topics:

/camera/color/image_raw
/camera/depth/image_raw
/yolo/annotated
/target_pose
/cmd_vel
/odom
/scan
/map
/amcl_pose
/initialpose

3. View Camera Feed​

rqt_image_view
  • Select /camera/color/image_raw for raw camera feed
  • Select /yolo/annotated to see bounding boxes and labels

4. Monitor System Status​

ros2 topic echo /diagnostics

🧠 What to Expect on the First Run​

Phase 1: System Initialization (0-30 seconds)​

  • All nodes start up sequentially
  • Camera begins streaming
  • YOLO loads model weights
  • Nav2 stack initializes with map
  • Initial pose is set automatically

Phase 2: Exploration Mode (30+ seconds)​

  • Robot will start moving along predefined waypoints
  • At each waypoint, it may rotate in place to scan for objects
  • YOLO continuously processes camera frames
  • Navigation logs show goal acceptance and progress

Phase 3: Object Detection & Mission Execution​

If YOLO detects a target object, Mission Manager will:

  1. Interrupt exploration
  2. Navigate to object location
  3. Run pick sequence (MyCobot arm extension)
  4. Return to base/drop zone
  5. Run drop sequence (MyCobot arm retraction)
  6. Resume exploration

📋 Expected Log Messages​

Successful Detection:​

[📍 DETECTED] cup 2D(312,245) 3D(0.45,0.12,0.89)
[mission_manager] [INFO] 🎯 Target detected! Interrupting exploration.
[mission_manager] [INFO] ✅ Goal accepted.
[mission_manager] [INFO] 🏁 Goal reached.

Pick/Drop Actions:​

[pick_node] [INFO] 🧲 Grabbed the object!
[drop_node] [INFO] 🪣 Dropped the object!

Voice Feedback:​

  • System uses espeak for audio confirmation
  • You'll hear spoken updates like "Target detected", "Moving to object", "Mission complete"

🛠️ Troubleshooting First Run Issues​

Camera Not Starting​

# Check if camera is detected
lsusb | grep -i orbbec
# Restart camera node specifically
ros2 launch orbbec_camera dabai.launch.py
# Check if map is loaded
ros2 topic echo /map -n 1
# Verify initial pose is set
ros2 topic echo /amcl_pose -n 1

YOLO Not Detecting Objects​

# Check if YOLO node is running
ros2 node info /yolo_nav_detector
# View raw camera feed to verify objects are visible
rqt_image_view

MyCobot Not Responding​

# Check USB connection
ls /dev/ttyUSB* /dev/ttyACM*
# Test arm connection
ros2 run mycobot_280 test_connection.py

🔍 Advanced Monitoring​

Real-time Performance Monitoring​

# Monitor system resources
htop
# Check ROS2 performance
ros2 run rqt_graph rqt_graph

Detailed Logging​

# Run with debug logging
ros2 launch full_system full_system.launch.py --ros-args --log-level debug

Save Logs for Analysis​

# Create log directory
mkdir -p ~/logs/$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)
# Launch with logging
ros2 launch full_system full_system.launch.py 2>&1 | tee ~/logs/$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)/full_system.log

📊 System Health Checks​

Before Each Run​

  • Battery levels (LIMO Pro > 20%, MyCobot > 30%)
  • Camera lens clean and unobstructed
  • Area clear of obstacles
  • Map file accessible and up-to-date
  • YOLO weights file present and valid

During Operation​

  • All nodes remain active (ros2 node list)
  • No error messages in logs
  • Camera feed shows clear images
  • Robot responds to navigation commands
  • Object detection working (test with known objects)
Pro Tip

Create a launch alias for easier startup:

echo "alias start_robot='cd ~/krish_ws && source install/setup.bash && ros2 launch full_system full_system.launch.py'" >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Now you can start everything with just start_robot!

Safety First
  • Always have the emergency stop button accessible
  • Ensure adequate space (minimum 3x3 meters) for robot operation
  • Keep the area clear of people and pets during autonomous operation
  • Monitor the robot closely during first runs
Next Steps

Once your first run is successful, check out:

🎯 Success Criteria​

Your first run is successful when:

  • ✅ All nodes start without errors
  • ✅ Camera feed displays in rqt_image_view
  • ✅ Robot moves to first waypoint
  • ✅ YOLO detections appear in /yolo/annotated topic
  • ✅ Voice feedback confirms system status
  • ✅ Robot completes at least one exploration cycle

Ready to run your first autonomous mission? Let's go! 🚀

on August 8, 2025 by KRISH RAY