caric_docker

docker for running Cooperative Aerial Robot Inspection Challenge (CARIC)

Preliminary: make sure you have docker installed: instruction.

The main CARIC components (simulator and controller) are run in a ROS1 docker container, and we provide the ROS1-ROS2 bridge to allow users to develop their algorithm in ROS2 dockers. If you want to develop in ROS1, you only need to run the ros1 container.

Run CARIC in a ROS1 docker container and develop in ROS1

Clone this package and build docker:

git clone https://github.com/caomuqing/caric_docker
cd caric_docker
docker compose build ros_caric

If the build succeeds, run the following command to run the docker container and build the ros workspace:

docker compose up ros_caric

After building the ros package, do not close the terminal; open a new terminal. Run the following command to enter the container:

xhost + #allowing allow docker access to screen
docker exec -it ros_caric_container_1 bash # open a container terminal

To run the baseline method:

source devel/setup.bash
roslaunch caric_baseline run.launch scenario:=mbs #other scenarios: hangar, crane

You should see rviz opening up and the drones start moving. You can develop your solution by creating new packages in the workspace ws_caric/src. An example package ws_caric/src/caric_baseline is provided.

Remember to run docker compose down to shut down the containers when you finish running.

Run CARIC in a ROS1 container and develop your solution in ROS2 container

Clone this package and build docker:

git clone https://github.com/caomuqing/caric_docker
cd caric_docker
docker compose build

If the build succeeds, run the following command to run the docker container and build the ros workspace:

docker compose up

After building the ros package, do not close the terminal; open a new terminal. Run the following command to enter the container:

xhost + #allowing allow docker access to screen
docker exec -it ros_caric_container_1 bash # open a container terminal

To run the baseline method:

source devel/setup.bash
roslaunch caric_baseline run.launch scenario:=mbs

Open a new terminal and go into the ros_bridge container

docker exec -it ros_caric_bridge bash
rosparam load bridge.param #load the ros1-ros2 bridge parameter
ros2 run ros1_bridge parameter_bridge #run ros1_bridge

The file bridge.param controls which topics are bridged from ROS1 to ROS2.

Note: You can adjust message transmission between domains by editing the configuration files (such as bridge.param).

Configuration Adjustment

Each node is assigned a domain ID using the TARGET_TO_DOMAIN mapping:

Domain ID	Node
0	Central domain
1	Jurong UAV
2	Raffles UAV
3	Sentosa UAV
4	Changi UAV
5	Nanyang UAV
99	Ground Control Station

You can modify the configuration files in caric_mission_ros2/config to adjust:

• Message routing rules between domains
• Communication parameters and frequency
• Message reception strategies for each UAV node

Customize these parameters to suit your multi-domain communication needs.

Run PPCom (Peer-to-Peer Communication) System

The PPCom system enables distributed communication between multiple drone nodes across different ROS2 domains.

For detailed instructions, see the caric_mission_ros2 README.

View ROS2 Topic List

To view topics in a specific ROS2 domain, set the ROS_DOMAIN_ID environment variable.
For example:

docker exec -it ros_caric_drone bash
export ROS_DOMAIN_ID=1
ros2 topic list

Notice: The topics you see here are processed through the Line-of-Sight (LOS) communication mechanism.

Set ROS_DOMAIN_ID to the desired domain number to see all ROS2 topics in that domain. This is useful for debugging cross-domain communication and topic mapping.

The file bridge.param governs the topics to be bridged from ROS1 to ROS2.

Remember to run docker compose down to shut down the containers when you finish running.