clearpath_nav2_demos

Nav2 and slam_toolbox demos for clearpath platforms

Example Nav2 and slam_toolbox configurations and launch files showing how to run mapping, localization, and autonomous navigation on Clearpath platforms.

For supported platforms, sensors, and manipulators plus additional details, please see: https://docs.clearpathrobotics.com/docs/ros/

Where this fits in the Clearpath ROS 2 stack

This is a downstream demo package. It assumes a robot is already running — either real hardware (clearpath_robot) or simulation (clearpath_simulator) — publishing the standard sensor topics and TF tree. It layers a navigation stack on top of that running robot.

flowchart LR
    robot["running robot<br/>(clearpath_robot / clearpath_simulator)"] --> nav["clearpath_nav2_demos<br/>(this repo)"]
    nav --> slam["slam.launch.py<br/>(build a map)"]
    nav --> loc["localization.launch.py<br/>(localize in a saved map)"]
    nav --> nav2["nav2.launch.py<br/>(autonomous navigation)"]

Layout

Usage

Start a robot or simulation first, then launch the desired demo. Parameters are selected per platform via the config/<platform> directories. For example, to build a map:

ros2 launch clearpath_nav2_demos slam.launch.py

Then, to navigate within a saved map:

ros2 launch clearpath_nav2_demos localization.launch.py
ros2 launch clearpath_nav2_demos nav2.launch.py

See the Clearpath navigation demos documentation for the full, platform-specific walkthrough.

Build

rosdep install --from-paths src --ignore-src -r -y
colcon build --symlink-install
source install/setup.bash

Notes

• The demos do not start a robot; launch clearpath_robot or clearpath_simulator first.
• Pick the config that matches your platform. Mismatched footprints/sensor frames are a common cause of poor navigation behavior.

Contributing to clearpath_nav2_demos

Thanks for your interest in improving clearpath_nav2_demos! This repository provides example Nav2 and slam_toolbox configurations and launch files for mapping, localization, and autonomous navigation on Clearpath platforms. It is a downstream demo package that assumes a robot (real or simulated) is already running. Please read the notes below before opening a pull request.

Getting started

1. Fork the repository and clone your fork.
2. Create a feature branch off jazzy:

   git checkout -b my-feature jazzy
   

1. Build the workspace and source it:

   rosdep install --from-paths src --ignore-src -r -y
   colcon build --symlink-install
   source install/setup.bash
   

1. Install the pre-commit hooks (one-time setup):

   pip install pre-commit
   pre-commit install
   

Linting

This repository uses pre-commit to run linting and formatting checks (trailing whitespace, end-of-file, YAML/JSON checks, markdownlint, and flake8) before each commit. Run them against the whole tree before pushing:

pre-commit run --all-files

Where things live

See the Layout section of the README for the full map:

• launch/ — the slam, localization, and nav2 launch files.
• config/ — per-platform parameter files (a200, a300, dd100, j100, w200, …).
• maps/ — sample maps matching the simulator worlds.

When adding support for a platform, add a matching directory under config/ rather than special-casing an existing one.

Testing your changes

These demos do not start a robot, so test against a running robot or the simulator:

# In one terminal, start a simulated robot
ros2 launch clearpath_gz simulation.launch.py

# In another, run the demo you changed
ros2 launch clearpath_nav2_demos slam.launch.py

Confirm the demo launches cleanly and behaves correctly for the platform whose config you touched. Mismatched footprints or sensor frames are a common cause of poor navigation behavior, so verify the config matches the platform.

Submitting a pull request

1. Make sure the workspace builds and the affected demo launches correctly.
2. Push your branch and open a pull request against jazzy.
3. Write a clear description of what the change does and the platform/world you tested against.

Reporting issues

Please open issues on the GitHub issue tracker and fill out the bug report template, which walks you through the details we need to reproduce the problem.

License

By contributing, you agree that your contributions will be licensed under the BSD-3-Clause license that covers this project.