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Basic ROV Usage

Safety

ROV thrusters can be very dangerous. If there is a safety concern at any point while using your ROV, immediately disable the thrusters. Here are three ways to do this, starting with the most convenient method:

1. Hit the "back" button on the teleop controller (if connected and configured as such)

2. Send the following command: rostopic pub mavros/cmd/command mavros_msgs/CommandLong 400 0 21196 --once

3. Disconnect the power source from the ROV (i.e. unplug the batteries)

Powering and Connecting To the ROV

To power your ROV, simply plug in the battery. Connect the umbilical to both the ROV and your computer. You might need to perform the following command to make the link available:

sudo ifdown eth0; sudo ifup eth0

# check state and IP of eth0
ifconfig

If you have your ROV configure with robot_upstart, you should be able to immediately launch new ROS nodes on your surface computer. If you don't have this setup, you'll need to ssh into the ROV to start ROS:

ssh ubuntu@bluerov

# once logged in
roslaunch bluerov bluerov_r1.launch

Don't forget to set the ROS_MASTER_URI in each shell on the surface computer. Once connected, try to launch rqt and load the "Topic Monitor" plugin:

export ROS_MASTER_URI=http://bluerov:11311
rqt

You are now ready to run additional applications like teleop_joy.

Submerging the ROV

Before submerging the ROV, make sure all enclosures are fully sealed including pressure-relief vent values. When ready, slowly place the ROV into the water. Hold the ROV near the surface for a short period of time and check for leaks. If leaks are detected, immediately pull the ROV out of the water and disconnect power.