Baidyanath-colab

Contents
1. VisualStates Tool
2. People Involved
3. Links
4. Development Status
5. Documentation

VisualStates Tool

VisualStates is a tool for programming robot behaviors using automata. It combines a graphical language to specify the states and the transitions with a text language (Python or C++). Hierarchical Finite State Machines are used to program robot behaviors and each state is a reactive controller which can be active or not at a particular instant. It automatically generates a Robotics Operating System node as output, in C++ or Python, which connects to the configured drivers at runtime and implements the automata. This tool speeds up the development of robot applications, reducing the code that has to be manually created.

People Involved

• Baidyanath Kundu (kundubaidya99 [at] gmail [dot] com) [GSoC Student]
• Pushkal Katara (katarapushkal [at] gmail [dot] com) [Mentor]
• Okan Aşık (asik [dot] okan [at] gmail [dot] com) [Mentor]
• José María Cañas Plaza (jmplaza [at] gsyc [dot] es) [Mentor]

Links

• Official Repository
• Development Repository
• Tutorials

Development Status

S.No.	Sub-Project	Status	Timeline
	Phase 1: Parameterization of VisualStates		May 27, 2019 - June 16, 2019
1.	Add the feature to Visual States Tool	Done
2.	Create example with parameters	Done
	Phase 2: Creating a library of automatas		June 17, 2019 - July 21, 2019
1.	Create the repository for online library
2.	Add feature to export to online library	Done
3.	Add feature to import from online library	Done
4.	Create examples for the library

Documentation

Week 12: 12 August 2019 - 18 August 2019

Discussion

• The build of ardrone_vislab failed.
• Switched to making a urdf for ardrone.
• The plugin present in JDERobot base uses ICE drivers so a new plugin is needed.

Task

• Create a urdf for the ardrone.
• Create a plugin to replace the present ardrone plugin which doesn't use ICE.

Progress

• Created the urdf. It currently uses the plugin which interfaces through ICE.

Problems faced

• Never having built a gazebo plugin, building that one from scratch was a bad idea.
• To solve this issue currently I am trying to fuse two plugins
  • JDERobot base plugin for the ardrone.
  • Hector gazebo plugin for quadrotor.

Week 11: 5 August 2019 - 11 August 2019

Discussion

• A new model named ArDrone2 will be used to develop more behaviours
  • The model can be found in this repo.
• Any of the prius behaviour was to be either improved or a new one was to be created.

Task

• Create behaviours using ArDrone2 and improve or add behaviours that use prius model.

Progress

• Improved the prius_overtake behaviour by using orientation and position based transitions instead of temporal transitions. Pull Request

Problems faced

• The repo supplied was very old so many errors had crept in. After solving almost all errors (such as it needed gazebo 7 to build and they were accessing std func directly with the using namespace command), I had to leave it as it had a dependency on an older version of a library which wasn't available. So I have to create a urdf with the prebuilt plugins added to a included folder.

Week 10: 29 July 2019 - 4 August 2019

Discussion

• The video made for the demonstration required several additions and modifications:
  • It should show the addition of states, adding parameters, adding codes that use the parameters.
  • The video should highlight how defined parameters are referenced and used in the code.
  • It would be better if you do not reference your previous video.
  • The video should fit in 2 mins.
• The Pull Request of parameterization was to be reviewed before it was merged

Task

• Remake the previous video to add all required contents

Progress

• Made the final draft of the video but wasn't able to shorten the length to 2 mins. Link

Week 9: 22 July 2019 - 28 July 2019

Task

• Fix bugs that arise while testing

Progress

• Design of the parameterization of the VisualStates. Pull Request
  • Changed the data structure used to store the parameters in State Namespace to use dictionary. Commit
• Made first draft of the parameterization video. Link

Week 8: 15 July 2019 - 21 July 2019

Discussion

• New behaviours need to be created using a different robot environment than kobuki or prius examples
• A video has to be created demonstrating the use of parameters in import of the project

Task

• Fix bugs that arise while testing

Progress

• Design of the parameterization of the VisualStates. Pull Request
  • Squashed all the bugs found
• Design of online importer and exporter. Pull Request
  • Squashed all the bugs found

Week 7: 8 July 2019 - 14 July 2019

Discussion

• Design of the parameterization of the VisualStates
  • Tree of states with parameters are going to be shown during import
  • The states can be selected in the dialog mentioned above
  • The information of states would be collapsible for easy viewing
• Design of online importer and exporter
  • The download and upload of files are going to be done via QThreads for multithreading the operations
  • One Class in one file structure is to be followed
  • The exporter doesn't need to show messages in this stage of development

Task

• Complete the requested changes as mentioned above

Progress

• Design of the parameterization of the VisualStates. Pull Request
  • Completed all the required changes
• Design of online importer and exporter. Pull Request
  • Completed all the required changes
  • Also found and added a way to show progress messages in the exporter dialog

Week 6: 1 July 2019 - 7 July 2019

Task

• Add a dialog to display imported parameters
• Add importer for the online library

Progress

• Added importer for the online library. Pull Request
• Added check to prevent duplicate inputs being added to the list. Issue
• Added XML Validation. Issue
• Added dialog to display imported parameters. Pull Request

Week 5: 24 June 2019 - 30 June 2019

Discussion

• Design of online importer and exporter
  • PyGitHub library will be used to access the repository
  • It could be better to show the tree of states with the parameters instead of a snapshot
  • There will be a main xml file in the repository containing the names, descriptions and the folder name in which the behaviour and the snapshot/tree of states is present
  • A demo repository will be created by me which will be used to create the online importer and exporter and once its complete we will shift to a jderobot repository.
• Design of parameterization of VisualStates -A list of added parameters need to be displayed during the import of a file

Task

• Implement the design of the exporter and importer
• Display the list of added parameters during import

Progress

• Created the demo repository for the library. Link
• Added the exporter to visual states. Pull Request

Week 4: 17 June 2019 - 23 June 2019

Discussion

• The documentation will be better with a blog style appearance rather than the current one.
  • This way the documentation could be made more comprehensive
• Design of parameterization of VisualStates
  • The parameters are going to act like local namespace variables in the the source code.
  • They are to be added from the local namespace UI
  • They are not needed to be shown while importing, later whn selective state import will be added they will be shown to the user as a part of the states
• Design of online importer and exporter
  • Each behaviour needs two details
    • Name
    • Description
  • A snapshot would be added that could be auto generated or created by user of the root state
  • The repo will contain folders for each behaviour where the snapshot and xml file will be stored and another file at the root of the repo to store a list of the behaviours.
  • The exporter will create a pull request to the repository and add required code automatically.

Task

• Make changes to design of parameters
• Change the documentation from a single page format to a blog type format.
• Create a video demontrating the parameterization of visual states

Progress

• Converted the documentation to a blog format. Link
• Made necessary changes to parameterization code. Pull Request
• Made a demonstration video for the parameterization of visual states. Link

Week 3: 10 June 2019 - 16 June 2019

Discussion

• The issue Child Automata doesn't start from initial state if parent state ran once.
  • This could be a design decision or a flaw needs to be looked into.
• The design of VisualStates could be improved by implementing a tabbed structure - Issue opened here.
  • Further discussion will be held on an issue that will be opened on the VisualStates repository.
• The issue of User Input Validation .
  • The issue needs to be split into specific issues(by me) for specific inputs.
• Transition Code and Condition execution order.
• Instead of keeping a Python and a C++ radio button to change syntax highlighting ask user for his language preference at the beginning of the new behaviour.
• An issue needs to be created (by me) for the parameter design documentation. It will help in taking inputs from everyone to better the design - Issue opened here

Task

• Solve the User Input Validation Issues
• Change design of parameterization as inputs are provided on the issue
• Add parameters to VisualStates examples

Progress

• Added integer check for some input
• Added Ctrl G fix
• Added parameters to kobuki obstacle avoidance

Week 1-2: 27 May, 2019 - 9 June, 2019

Tasks

• Test all the examples present in VisualStates-examples
• Create a kobuki obstacle avoidance behaviour to internalize the tool
• Add parameterization to the VisualStates Tool
• Add demo gifs to each example

Progress

• Added parameterization to the Visual States - Pull Request
• Added demo gifs - Pull Request
• Created kobuki obstacle avoidance and kobuki wall follower