https://github.com/ethz-asl/terrain-navigation
Implementation for safe low altitude navigation in steep terrain for fixed-wing Aerial Vehicles
https://github.com/ethz-asl/terrain-navigation
drones fixedwing planning robotics
Last synced: 6 months ago
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Implementation for safe low altitude navigation in steep terrain for fixed-wing Aerial Vehicles
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/ethz-asl/terrain-navigation
- Owner: ethz-asl
- License: bsd-3-clause
- Created: 2023-08-11T12:32:15.000Z (about 2 years ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2025-03-27T09:30:01.000Z (6 months ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-03-28T18:17:25.085Z (6 months ago)
- Topics: drones, fixedwing, planning, robotics
- Language: C++
- Homepage: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/10443502
- Size: 31.2 MB
- Stars: 151
- Watchers: 10
- Forks: 21
- Open Issues: 11
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- License: LICENSE
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
# terrain-navigation
[](https://github.com/ethz-asl/terrain-navigation/actions/workflows/build_test.yml)
This package includes an implementation of the RA-L submission of "Safe Low-Altitude Navigation in Steep Terrain with Fixed-Wing Aerial Vehicles".
The implementation includes a global planner based on a RRT* in the Dubins Airplane space enabling low altitude navigation for fixed wing vehicles in steep terrain.
> ROS 2 support of the package can be found in the [ros2](https://github.com/ethz-asl/terrain-navigation/tree/ros2) branch. The implementation supports ROS 2 Humble.
## Paper and Video
If you find this package useful in an academic context, please consider citing the paper
- J. Lim, F. Achermann, R. Girod, N. Lawrance and R. Siegwart, "Safe Low-Altitude Navigation in Steep Terrain With Fixed-Wing Aerial Vehicles," in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, vol. 9, no. 5, pp. 4599-4606, May 2024, doi: 10.1109/LRA.2024.3368800
. [[paper](https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/10443502)] [[video](https://youtu.be/7C5SsRn_L5Q?si=cMNtX16F1aFNrV8_)]
```
@article{lim2024safe,
title={Safe Low-Altitude Navigation in Steep Terrain With Fixed-Wing Aerial Vehicles},
author={Lim, Jaeyoung and Achermann, Florian and Girod, Rik and Lawrance, Nicholas and Siegwart, Roland},
journal={IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters},
year={2024},
volume={9},
number={5},
pages={4599-4606},
doi={10.1109/LRA.2024.3368800}}
```
## Setup
### Setting up the Build Environment using Docker
If your operating system doesn't support ROS 1 noetic, docker is a great alternative.
First, create the image, with the build context at the root of this repo
```Bash
docker build --file docker/Dockerfile --tag terrain-navigation-ros1 .
```
You can see the image exists:
```Bash
docker images
>>> REPOSITORY TAG IMAGE ID CREATED SIZE
>>> terrain-navigation-ros1 latest 5565f845ab4f 2 weeks ago 774MB
```
Next, run the image, mounting in the source into a workspace. All the dependencies are now installed.
```Bash
docker run --network=host -it -v $(pwd):/root/catkin_ws/src/terrain-navigation -w /root/catkin_ws terrain-navigation-ros1 bash
```
### Running the Build
Configure the catkin workspace
```Bash
catkin config --extend "/opt/ros/noetic"
catkin config --merge-devel
```
For dependencies that do not have binaries available, pull them in using rosinstall.
```Bash
wstool init src src/terrain-navigation/dependencies.rosinstall
wstool update -t src -j4
```
For dependencies available through binaries, use rosdep.
This package depends on [GDAL](https://gdal.org/index.html) to read georeferenced images and GeoTIFF files.
```Bash
apt update
rosdep update
source /opt/ros/noetic/setup.bash
rosdep install --from-paths src --ignore-src -y
```
Build the package
```Bash
catkin config --cmake-args -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DCATKIN_ENABLE_TESTING=False
catkin build -j$(nproc) -l$(nproc) terrain_navigation_ros
```
## Running an example of the planner
In order to run the examples, build the `terrain_planner_benchmark` package.
```
catkin build terrain_planner_benchmark
```
Run a simple planning example:
```
roslaunch terrain_planner_benchmark test_ompl_rrt_circle.launch
```
## Running with PX4 SITL(Software-In-The-Loop)
To setup PX4, clone the [ETHZ ASL PX4 autopilot project](https://github.com/ethz-asl/ethzasl_fw_px4/tree/pr-hinwil-testing)
The setup instructions can be found in the [documentation](https://docs.px4.io/main/en/dev_setup/dev_env_linux_ubuntu.html) for the latest dependencies.
For Ubuntu 20.04+ROS noetic with Gazebo classic:
```Bash
git clone https://github.com/ethz-asl/ethzasl_fw_px4.git --branch pr-hinwil-testing --recursive
cd ..
cd ethzasl_fw_px4
bash ./Tools/setup/ubuntu.sh
make px4_sitl gazebo
```
Do source the relevant environment variables before launching terrain navigation. For instance, for Ubuntu 20.04 + ROS Noetic + Gazebo classic:
```Bash
px4_dir=~/ethzasl_fw_px4
source $px4_dir/Tools/simulation/gazebo/setup_gazebo.bash $px4_dir $px4_dir/build/px4_sitl_default
export ROS_PACKAGE_PATH=$ROS_PACKAGE_PATH:$px4_dir
export ROS_PACKAGE_PATH=$ROS_PACKAGE_PATH:$px4_dir/Tools/simulation/gazebo/sitl_gazebo
export GAZEBO_PLUGIN_PATH=$GAZEBO_PLUGIN_PATH:/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/gazebo-11/plugins
```
*Note*: The path for gazebo may vary for a different version of Gazebo, update `GAZEBO_PLUGIN_PATH` as well as `ROS_PACKAGE_PATH`
accordingly.
The default launch file can be run as the following command.
```Bash
roslaunch terrain_navigation_ros test_terrain_planner.launch
```
You can use [QGroundcontrol](http://qgroundcontrol.com/) to configure and fly the vehicle. Get the vehicle flying, and plan a mission to fly!
Once the vehicle is flying in a loiter, plan a mission, engage the planner and fly through the rviz UI (Video: https://youtu.be/EJWyGSqaKb4)