The OpenPodCar project (Waltham et al, in preperation) aims to create an open-source platform for research into self-driving cars. This paper aims to develop a simulation of the existing robot using open-source tools such as Gazebo and ROS, as well as implementing autonomous path planning and local path optimisation using Timed Elastic Band. The simulation features standard ROS packages for robot control, including move base and teb local planner, as well as a Gazebo plugin to correctly enact commanded behaviours. The paths from the local planner are collision-free and compatible with Ackermann steering. The artefact includes several launch configurations (as roslaunch files) for different modes of operation, including the base nodes required for use, joystick control and move base. The users of the system are the original authors of the OpenPodCar project (Waltham et al, in preperation). After evaluating the system, the quality was found high enough to be merged into the upstream version, and the present author has since been added to the author list of their journal paper submission on the system for the Journal of Open Source Hardware.
PLEASE NOTE: You must be a member of the University of Lincoln to be able to view this dissertation. Please log in here.