Robot Configuration

Configuration File

Clearpath robots use a single configuration file /etc/clearpath/robot.yaml to define the robot's parameters and control ROS 2 services.

The configuration file can be edited to customize the robot to add sensors, change ROS 2 middleware, and other changes.

Generators

The YAML configuration file is processed by multiple generators that produce the robot's URDF, parameter and launch files for ROS nodes, and configure environment variables used by systemd jobs

Services

The robot uses multiple systemd jobs generated by the robot_upstart ROS package to handle starting ROS when the robot boots. These services can be augmented or edited by the user, though this is generally not necessary outside of very narrow circumstances.

Workspaces

If you intend to do ROS 2 development on your robot, or if your robot contains third-party components with ROS drivers that must be built from source, you may need to add one or more colcon workspaces to your configuration.