Auto-generated ROS API

For each of the defined tasks, a ROS API made of topics, services, and actions is automatically generated by CartesIO. This is a convenient way to integrate CartesIO inside a distributed control system, and to monitor its behavior remotely.

Note

By default, the whole ROS API resides under the namespace /cartesian. Task specific topics/services/actions will be under the additional namespace given by the task name.

The ROS API of a task with name mytask will be available under the namespace /cartesian/mytask

Contents:

Solver API
- Services
- Topics
  - solution
  - tf
Common task API
- Services
- Topics
  - task_changed_event
Supported tasks API

Solver API 

The following services and topics are available to monitor and customize the solver state.

Services 

get_task_list 

Returns the list of all defined tasks, with their names and types.

reset 

Resets the solver state to the robot state (if available) or to the homing state.

reset_world 

TBD

load_controller 

TBD

Topics 

solution 

The current solver solution, as a sensor_msgs/JointState message.

tf 

Current solution TF tree. Tf messages are published with a TF prefix (default is ci/), to avoid conflicts with other robot state publishers.

Common task API 

All task types inherit a common Task ROS API, made of services and topics, as described below.

Services 

get_task_properties 

Returns all task properties.

Service description
Name	get_task_properties
Type	`cartesian_interface::GetTaskInfo`
Request	–
Response	string name string[] type float32 lambda float32 lambda2 string activation_state float32[] weight uint32[] indices uint32 size string[] disabled_joints

Note

The type hierarchy of the C++ task representation is reflected into a list of types.

For instance, the C++ InteractionTask class derives from CartesianTask, which in turns derives from TaskDescription.

Therefore, the type field will be type = [Interaction, Cartesian, Task].

set_active 

Activates/deactivates the task. Returns a success flag and a status message.

Service description
Name	set_active
Type	`cartesian_interface::SetTaskActive`
Request	bool activation_state
Response	bool success string message

set_lambda and set_lambda2 

Sets the task lambda value. Returns a success flag and a status message.

Service description
Name	set_lambda
Type	`cartesian_interface::SetLambda`
Request	float32 lambda
Response	bool success string message

set_weight 

Sets the task weight value. Returns a success flag and a status message. The weight can be expressed as:

a scalar

a vector specifying the weight as a diagonal matrix

the full weight matrix

Service description
Name	set_weight
Type	`cartesian_interface::SetWeight`
Request	float32[] weight
Response	bool success string message

Topics 

task_changed_event 

A message is published on this topic whenever a task property has changed. The message contains a string identifier of the actual property changed.

Topic description
Name	set_weight
Type	`std_msgs::String`