Multi-Drone Formation Control with ROS and Gazebo

Overview

This project demonstrates the control of a swarm of four drones in a simulated environment using ROS, Gazebo, MAVROS, and ArduPilot SITL. The drones perform coordinated movements in specific formations, utilizing waypoints defined in custom C++ scripts.

Features

• Multi-Drone Simulation: Four drones simulated using ArduPilot SITL and Gazebo.
• Waypoint Navigation: Each drone navigates predefined waypoints, maintaining formation.
• Formation Control: Custom C++ scripts control the drones to move in patterns like squares, rectangles, or circles.
• Automated Launch: A bash script automates launching the simulation, MAVROS nodes, and control scripts.

Technologies Used

• ROS Noetic: Middleware for robotic systems.
• Gazebo: 3D simulation environment.
• ArduPilot SITL: Software-in-the-loop simulation for drones.
• MAVROS: Communication between ROS and MAVLink-compatible drones.
• C++: Setpoint scripts for controlling drone movements.

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Prerequisites

• Operating System: Ubuntu 20.04
• Software Requirements:
  • ROS Noetic
  • Gazebo (compatible version with ROS Noetic)
  • ArduPilot SITL
  • MAVROS and MAVROS-Extras

Install Required Packages

1. Update your system and install ROS Noetic:

   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install ros-noetic-desktop-full

2. Install MAVROS and MAVROS Extras:

   sudo apt install ros-noetic-mavros ros-noetic-mavros-extras

3. Install GeographicLib datasets for MAVROS:

   wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mavlink/mavros/master/mavros/scripts/install_geographiclib_datasets.sh
   sudo bash install_geographiclib_datasets.sh

4. Ensure Gazebo and ArduPilot SITL are installed:

   • Follow Gazebo Installation Guide
   • Follow ArduPilot SITL Installation Guide

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Setup

Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/multi_drone_control.git
cd multi_drone_control

Build the Workspace

1. Create a new ROS workspace and copy the project:

   mkdir -p ~/catkin_ws/src
   cp -r multi_drone_control ~/catkin_ws/src/

2. Build the workspace:

   cd ~/catkin_ws
   catkin_make
   source devel/setup.bash

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Usage

Launch the Simulation

Use the provided bash script to initialize all components in separate terminals:

./scripts/run_simulation.sh

This script will:

1. Launch Gazebo with a multi-drone world.
2. Start SITL instances for each drone.
3. Launch MAVROS nodes for communication.
4. Run custom setpoint control scripts for all drones.

Monitor Drones

1. View the simulation in Gazebo.
2. Use rostopic to monitor MAVROS topics:

   rostopic echo /uav1/mavros/state

Customizing Waypoints

To modify the drone trajectories:

1. Edit the respective setpoint scripts in the scripts/ directory (e.g., setpoint_node1.cpp).
2. Rebuild the workspace after making changes:

   cd ~/catkin_ws
   catkin_make

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Repository Structure

multi_uav_sim/
├── README.md               # Project documentation
├── scripts/                # Bash and C++ scripts
│   ├── run_simulation.sh   # Script to automate simulation setup
│   ├── setpoint_node1.cpp  # Setpoint control script for Drone 1
│   ├── setpoint_node2.cpp  # Setpoint control script for Drone 2
│   ├── setpoint_node3.cpp  # Setpoint control script for Drone 3
│   ├── setpoint_node4.cpp  # Setpoint control script for Drone 4
├── worlds/                 # Gazebo world files
│   ├── iris_multiuav.world # Multi-drone simulation world
├── launch/                 # Launch files for ROS
│   ├── multi.launch        # Launch file for multi-drone Gazebo world
│   ├── mavros_apm.launch   # MAVROS launch file template
├── docs/                   # Documentation assets
│   ├── images/             # Screenshots and figures
├── LICENSE                 # Project license
└── .gitignore              # Ignored files

Video Demonstration

![Watch the video demonstration]

Click here to watch the video directly on YouTube

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Contribution Guidelines

1. Fork the repository and create a feature branch for your changes.
2. Commit changes with meaningful messages.
3. Create a pull request for review.

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

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Acknowledgements

• ROS Documentation
• ArduPilot Documentation
• Gazebo Documentation