Usage Guide

Running the Simulation

Option 1: Autonomous Search (Recommended)

The UAV automatically arms, takes off, and searches for ArUco markers:

source activate_venv.sh
bash scripts/run_autonomous.sh --search spiral

Search algorithms:

spiral - Expanding square spiral from current position
lawnmower - Systematic back-and-forth lane coverage
levy - Random walk with Lévy-distributed step lengths

Options:

# Software rendering (WSL/no GPU)
bash scripts/run_autonomous.sh --software-render --search spiral

# Custom altitude
bash scripts/run_autonomous.sh --search lawnmower --altitude 10

# Run directly
python3 src/main.py --search spiral --altitude 5

Option 2: Manual Mode (MAVProxy)

For interactive control via MAVProxy:

bash scripts/run_simulation.sh

Wait for EKF initialization messages (~15 seconds):

EKF3 IMU0 initialised
EKF3 IMU1 initialised
AHRS: EKF3 active

Then type commands:

mode guided
arm throttle force
takeoff 5

Option 3: ROS 2 Launch

For full ROS 2 integration with MAVROS:

source /opt/ros/humble/setup.bash
source activate_venv.sh
ros2 launch uav_ugv_simulation full_simulation.launch.py

MAVProxy Commands

Command	Description
`mode guided`	Switch to GUIDED mode
`arm throttle force`	Force arm (bypasses checks)
`takeoff 5`	Take off to 5 meters
`guided 10 5 -10`	Go to position (N, E, Down)
`land`	Land at current position
`rtl`	Return to launch
`disarm`	Disarm motors

ROS 2 Topics

UAV Topics

Topic	Type	Description
`/uav/mavros/state`	`mavros_msgs/State`	Armed/mode status
`/uav/mavros/local_position/pose`	`PoseStamped`	Current position
`/uav/visual_odometry/pose`	`PoseStamped`	VO position estimate
`/uav/setpoint_position`	`PoseStamped`	Target position
`/uav/controller/command`	`String`	Control commands

UGV Topics

Topic	Type	Description
`/ugv/odom`	`Odometry`	Current odometry
`/ugv/goal_pose`	`PoseStamped`	Target position
`/ugv/cmd_vel`	`Twist`	Velocity command

Control via ROS 2

# Send command to UAV
ros2 topic pub /uav/controller/command std_msgs/String "data: 'takeoff'"

# Send waypoint
ros2 topic pub /uav/setpoint_position geometry_msgs/PoseStamped \
  "{header: {frame_id: 'odom'}, pose: {position: {x: 10, y: 5, z: 5}}}"

# Send UGV goal
ros2 topic pub /ugv/goal_pose geometry_msgs/PoseStamped \
  "{header: {frame_id: 'odom'}, pose: {position: {x: 5, y: 5, z: 0}}}"

Stopping the Simulation

# Kill all processes
bash scripts/kill_simulation.sh

# Or press Ctrl+C in the terminal running the simulation

Configuration Files

File	Description
`config/search.yaml`	Search algorithm parameters
`config/uav.yaml`	UAV navigation/vision parameters
`config/ugv.yaml`	UGV motion parameters
`config/ardupilot_gps_denied.parm`	ArduPilot EKF configuration

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