simulation/docs/usage.md

Usage Guide

Running the Simulation

Option 1: Autonomous Mode (Recommended)

The simplest way to run - the UAV automatically arms, takes off, and flies:

source activate_venv.sh
bash scripts/run_autonomous.sh --mission hover

Mission types:

• hover - Take off to 5m, hover 30 seconds, land
• square - Fly a 5m square pattern
• circle - Fly a circular pattern (5m radius)

Options:

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

# Custom altitude and duration
python3 src/autonomous_controller.py --altitude 10 --duration 60 --mission hover

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}}}"

Mission Planner

Run coordinated multi-vehicle missions:

ros2 run uav_ugv_simulation mission_planner

Send commands:

# Load demo mission
ros2 topic pub /mission/command std_msgs/String "data: 'load'"

# Start mission
ros2 topic pub /mission/command std_msgs/String "data: 'start'"

# Pause/Resume
ros2 topic pub /mission/command std_msgs/String "data: 'pause'"
ros2 topic pub /mission/command std_msgs/String "data: 'resume'"

# Abort
ros2 topic pub /mission/command std_msgs/String "data: 'abort'"

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/uav_params.yaml	UAV navigation/vision parameters
config/ugv_params.yaml	UGV motion parameters
config/mavros_params.yaml	MAVROS connection settings
config/geofence_params.yaml	Geofence boundaries
config/ardupilot_gps_denied.parm	ArduPilot EKF configuration

Next Steps

• Architecture Overview
• GPS-Denied Navigation
• Troubleshooting