Using Robot Operating System (ROS) and Single Board

Computer to Control Bioloid Robot Motion

Ganesh Kumar Kalyani1, Zhijun Yang2, Vaibhav Gandhi3, and Tao Geng4

Design Engineering and Mathematics department, Faculty of Science & Technology,

Middlesex University, London, UK
1
Gk434@live.mdx.ac.uk, 2, 3, 4[Z.Yang, V.Gandhi, T.Geng]@mdx.ac.uk

Abstract. This paper presents a research study on the adaptation of a novel technique for placing
a programmable component over the structural component of a Robotis Bioloid humanoid robot.
Assimilating intelligence plays an important role in the field of robotics that enables a computer
to model or replicate some of the intelligent behaviors of human beings but with minimal human
intervention. As a part of this effort, this paper revises the Bioloid robot structure so as to be able
to control the robotic movement via a single board computer Beaglebone Black (BBB) and Robot
operating system (ROS). ROS as the development frame work in conjunction with the main BBB
controller that integrates robotic functions is an important aspect of this research, and is a first of
its kind approach. A full ROS computation has been developed by which an API that will be
usable by high level software using ROS services has also been developed. The human like body
structure of the Bioloid robot and BeagleBone Black running ROS along with the intellectual
components are used to make the robot walk efficiently.

Keywords: Robot; Robot Operating System (ROS); Single Board Computer (SBC); system in-
tegration.

1 Introduction
There are different facets of a walking robot namely; structural components, sensing
components and decision making components. The structural components include a
manipulator (links, joints, etc.), the end-effector and actuators (servo motor, stepper
motor, pneumatic and hydraulic cylinder etc.). Sensing components are devices that are
meant to gather information about the internal state of the robot or to communicate with
the outside world. The robot’s decision making components include a processor (which
is the brain of a robot that calculates the motion and velocity of robots joints), control-
lers that control and correlate the motion of actuators, and software (tools and libraries
for conveying and collection of routine information) [1].

The walking humanoid robot requires the provision of a system integration

arrangement within its decision making, sensing, and structural components. There has
to be a centralized or a distributed control system which can be used in such cases. In
the centralized setup, the main computer is normally aware of the sensory information
around the robot body. At the same time, it becomes inconvenient to increase the num-
ber of joints as the main computer has to bear much calculation burden. A distributed

© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2011

system may comprise of many more joints and many peripheral devices such as cam-
eras, wireless LAN, and control area network module [2]. However, the sub-controllers
and the communication bus lines between the main computer and the sub-controllers
need to be provided. In cases where the main controller used is not a real-time operating
system (RTOS) but only a general purpose operating system (GPOS), a Real-Time Ex-
tension (RTX) which is a commercial program capable of accessing the hardware di-
rectly has to be provided [2]. In this case, the number of joint motor controllers of the
robot has to be worked out which depends on the degrees of freedom (DOF).

Generally, a walking humanoid robot is required to be configured with an au-

tonomous motion controller, which takes care of the autonomous motion processing,
e.g., integrating the odometer and the map information to guide the robot. Apart from
this, the autonomous processor controls and directs the hardware while image pro-
cessing tools like Open CV (intel C/C++ libraries for computer vision) or Direct show
(Microsoft Multi-Media Development Tool) can be used for accessing images from the
camera connected to the USB, and the program provided in the tools can carry out
image processing [2]. The motion controller includes walking program and special ac-
tion program written in suitable programming languages for e.g., C, C++. In the work
presented in this paper, a robot’s autonomous motion controller is designed using Robot
Operating System (ROS) while keeping the basic and fundamental requirements of a
prototype humanoid robot, the bioloid humanoid robot. The adapting strategy of the
decision making component and ROS with BBB in the structural body of humanoid
robot has been redesigned and implemented in this paper. ROS gives standard robot
services such as hardware abstraction, low-level device control, implementation of
commonly used functionality, topics and message services between processes, and
package management. ROS based topic transmission and frame transform procedures
are represented in a graph architecture where processing takes place in nodes that may
subscribe and publish the sensor, pose, control, state, planning and other messages. In
spite of the significance of unified software structure in robot control, ROS itself is not
a real time software package. However, it is possible to combine ROS with real time
hardware ROS is running on to form a real time framework. This framework can serve
as an operating system and middleware for service robots. It gives not just standard
operating services (hardware abstraction, contention management, process manage-
ment) but in addition high level system functionalities (asynchronous and synchronous
operations, centralized data base, a configured robot system etc.) [3].

A collection of nodes and programs called roscore are the pre-requisites of any
ROS-based system. There must be a roscore running in order for ROS nodes to com-
municate [4]. Communication buses named ROS Topics are used while using the ROS
modules. These comprise of anonymous publish/subscribe semantics that in-turn de-
couple the production of information from its consumption. Generally, the nodes are
unaware of the extremities with which they are communicating. The nodes that are in
search of data subscribe to the relevant topics i.e. the nodes that generate data publish
to relevant topics. Thus, there can be multiple subscribers and publishers to a topic [5].
An rqt_graph is commonly used as a GUI plugin for visualizing the ROS computation
graph [6].
 The remainder of the paper is organized into three sections. Section II de-
scribes the theoretical considerations to be kept in mind while formulating the scheme
for adaptability of installing ROS based autonomous motion controller into a walking
humanoid robot. Section III describes the original decision making components of a
walking humanoid robot (Robotis Bioloid) as well as that of the replaced robot auton-
omous motion controller (BeagleBone Black). In this section, the details of a ROS
based motion control strategy are given. Section IV narrates the exchanging strategy
that was adopted to address the motion control issue. Section V concludes the paper.

2 Theoretical considerations

2.1 General points regarding controllers

1. Powerful processor for providing Artificial Intelligence and overall control, while
basic microprocessor as I/O managers must be used in walking humanoid robots.
2. Preferably use three-layer configuration:
(a) Top layer - Powerful PC as the “brain” of the robot
(b) Middle layer - Multiple sub-system managers for motion control, sensor man-
agement and processing.
(c) Lower layer - Large number of low performance microprocessors for managing
miscellaneous tasks.
3. Basic microprocessor can be plugged in to a USB on the computer and it can send
and receive commands over serial port and all other higher-level instructions could
run on the computer. The computer could issue commands by taking decisions and
the other processor could control the motors to perform the required tasks.
4. Decisions on processor can be taken considering the following:
(d) Processing Power - If controlling the motors is only required i.e. all processing
is done on an external PC, then a motor driver circuit may be enough. For basic
on-board processing like transformation of coordinates, simple command loops
and inverse kinematics, a basic microprocessor may be sufficient. If automating
the robot and implementing advanced features is desired, BeagleBone Black,
Raspberry Pi or Intel Atom may be sufficient.
(e) Programming ability - Basic Python and C/C++ is required for BeagleBone
Black, Raspberry Pi and Intel programming. However, wherever necessary, li-
braries must be included in addition.
(f) Compatibility - The chosen processor should support (both number and type) the
motors used [7].

2.2 General points regarding the Software

1. ROS, a comprehensive robot-related software framework depends on the machine
controller that integrates robotic functions [8].
2. Python API allows either to use all of the C++ from a remote machine or create
Python Modules that can run remotely or on the robots.
3. Embedded software, running on a motherboard located in the head of the robot al-
lows autonomous behaviour. Desktop software running on a computer located out-
side the robot, allows creation of new behaviours and the remote control of the robot
[9].

2.3 Preliminary Adaptability Analysis

The above theoretical considerations have been carefully taken into account and a ROS
based architecture is used for data acquisition for motor actuation and decision making
processes of the robot. The BeagleBone Black single board computer (SBC) is used in
place of the CM530 decision making component of the Bioloid humanoid walking ro-
bot (cf. Table 1).

3 Decision making component

The original main control unit of the humanoid robot kit is CM-530 controller. AX 12A
Dynamixel servo motors, the gyro/accelerometer sensor, infra-red and distance meas-
uring sensors also all communication devices needed (RoboPlus software) are easily
connected to CM-530 (cf. Fig. 4). Different components in the system have their own
identifications (IDs) so that the topics or messages can be addressed to specific target
components. Position and speed of walking can be easily obtained from the integral
motor Dynamixel AX 12A and its encoders. This robot can provide feedback for angu-
lar position, angular velocity and load torque. A number of Dynamixel units can be
connected through daisy chain to save resources [10].

3.1 BeagleBone Black Processor

BeagleBone Black is a powerful processor that is used in the humanoid robot presented
in this paper. The structural platform of the robot is constructed using 2 legs and 12
servos so as to have 12 DOFs. The BeagleBone Black is connected to the robot through
software for controlling its motion and function [9] [11]. The complete interface of the
BeagleBone Black with robot and computer is shown in Error! Reference source not
found..
 Fig. 1. Interfacing of the robot with computer [8]

Gyro/accelerometer sensors are mounted around the middle portion of the body.
This senses the robot’s position and controls its balance for walking, thus preventing it
from falling. A wireless network is used to provide communication between the com-
puter and the robot. The robot is controlled through the computer instructions and feeds
back the data streams from the IR sensor for detection of obstacles in the front of the
robot. Thus, the IR sensor acts as a guide for the robot in assisting it in its forward
movement and avoiding collision with potential obstacles. This approach can be further
used in Brain-computer interface related applications [12].

4 Exchange strategy for the adaptation process

4.1 System modification and Walking Methodology

In this paper, a Debian image with ROS indigo version implementation is installed on
the BeagleBone Black. In order to maneuver the robot without interruption, a Wi-Fi
module is enabled in the BeagleBone Black using necessary libraries and repositories.
A USB hub is connected to the serial port of the BeagleBone Black to which all periph-
erals are connected. USB2Dynamixel [10] is a device to operate the dynamixel actua-
tors which is connected through the Wi-Fi interface of the BeagleBone Black. Gyro/ac-
celerometer sensor is connected to serial clock and serial data pins while infra-red sen-
sor is connected to the analog to digital converting pins (ADC) of the BeagleBone
Black. Wi-Fi adapter is mounted on the humanoid robot and is connected through the
serial interface of the BeagleBone Black. The interfacing of the sensors with robot
movement is shown in the Fig. 2 and Fig. 3.

Fig. 2. Sensor Interface for robot movement

 For controlling the robot movement, software code is written in python so as
to control each servo. The humanoid robot is made to move forward at a desired speed
as per the operator’s instructions. The walking pattern of the robot is fine- tuned so that
the robot maneuvers in small steps and take care of the balancing strategy [14]. The
most important challenge in walking the robot is to prevent it from toppling over when
one leg is lifted. This is overcome by using the accelerometer sensor. The robot is made
to tilt on one side such that its center of gravity is in correct position so as to prevent it
from falling.

Fig. 3. Figure showing the BBB, AX-12A motors, USB2Dynamixel connector, Wifi Adapter, IR
Sensor and the Gyro+Accelerometer sensor used in the experiment.

The IR sensor detects an obstacle and send a feedback to the robot actuators to stop
the robot in a balanced standing position. This is another important improvisation in the
robot where it does not stop abruptly, and thus any chances of falling down while exe-
cuting the halt operation are avoided. Keeping these basic and fundamental design re-
quirements of the humanoid robot, the adapting strategy is evolved. Deciding cum
enforcing components of the bioloid robot are replaced under this strategy with the
BBB such that the biped robot performs walking, which was not present earlier. This
enhancement was made possible using ROS and Python.

In the bioloid robot, the CM530 controller was the key for governing all the robotic
movements and the control of the motors (cf. Fig.4). The idea was to replace this default
controller with a different controller which can be easily programmable and can make
the working of the robot more efficient. The deciding cum enforcing intelligence
providing components of the BBB Board (incorporating Robot Operating System
(ROS) and Python libraries and walking control) are implanted in the bioloid robot.
While carrying out this process the original decision making components are removed
from the bioloid robot. This approach has been implemented and shown in this paper.
Such an installation procedure has been undertaken for the first time as far as the re-
searchers’ knowledge goes. The main components replacement is shown in Table 1.

The Bioloid robot gaits are re-designed in the way that the robot body leans to the
left/right direction when its right/left leg lifts and move forward. This simple design
effectively avoids the collision between the robot feet with the ground. A check is also
made to see that the robot is in a stable position, which makes it to avoid falling. If the
parameters are more than the prescribed limits inscribed in an accelerometer sensor
then the robot is made to tilt the other side to counter balance in order not to fall. The
angle to which the robot leans is governed with the feedback from the accelerometer
sensor. This angle is 20 degrees. If the robot tilts beyond 25 degrees then it would come
back to its standstill position and stops further movement. When the robot moves for-
ward, the IR sensors sense obstacles in front of the robot. If an obstacle is detected to
be present at around 35cms then the robot stops moving further and comes to its stand-
still position. This dynamic model can be used, as a building block, to actuate the mo-
tors on legs and joints for a swing-stance period of the legs for its further movement
[3]. At the same time, the robot stops further movement, and when the obstacle is re-
moved, the robot continues its motion. Using the onboard IR sensor, the robot is al-
lowed to navigate in places and a continuous feedback is sent from the IR sensor. The
position of the pelvis center and the ankle in the view point of sagittal plane is as shown
in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6. For the moment, the maximum walking speed of the robot is 0.5

Fig. 4. Decision making Components of Bioloid Humanoid [10]

Table 1. Exchange of components [10], [11]

Sr. Existing Replacing
Particulars
No. Component Component
1 CPU STM32F103 AM33588
BeagleBone
2 Controller CM530
Black
3 Remote Controller RC100 Wi-Fi
RoboPlus ROS with
4 Software
with C++ Python

foot/second. Beyond this limit the robot may get unstable and falls down. Slippery or
uneven surfaces also affects the robot and possibly make it fall down.

The RoboPlus software of the Robotis Bioloid robot is an icon type C-language
based software meant for easy programming and managing motion and behavior. In the
work presented in this paper, this component has been replaced with ROS and Python
scripts for a more flexible control of the autonomous robot movement. ROS is a prom-
ising robot software environment due largely to its rich open source repository and in-
novative compilation and operating structure. This demo work provides a proof of the
concept framework in which a simple ROS motion control scheme is used. One Python
ROS node is created to control the robot motion and publish one topic on the robot
status. Based on this work, more potential nodes can be added for signal processing and
motion control.

The biped walking gaits are imbibed to this revised hybrid humanoid robot using

Fig. 5. Sagittal view for the walking pattern

Fig. 6. Schematics of landing position control

Fig. 7. Rqt_graph representing the dynamics of the system where the rosnode ‘/walk_sen-
sor’ communicating on the ROS topic ‘/robot’.

ROS and Python libraries, walking algorithmic codes and controls for the first time in
this research study. During robot walking, ROS acts as the intermediate communication
between the computer and the BBB. ROSCORE is the first program that had been run
in one terminal when using ROS. ROSRUN is the command that instructs ROSNODE
(rosnode displays information about the ROS nodes); which is the ‘/walk_sensor’ here
to publish on the ROStopic ‘/robot’ (cf. Fig. 7). Thus, dynamic and stable walking is
achieved.

4.2 Performance trials

Trials have been carried out using BeagleBone Black to access and control the motion
of individual AX-12 Dynamixel servo motors. The accelerometer sensor is added to the
interface so as to control the servo motors. The Bioloid humanoid robot structure that
is incorporated with BeagleBone Black and ROS accesses individual servos and accel-
erometer sensor to make the robot walk with perfect balance and gait. Additional li-
braries are added so as to enable the BeagleBone Black with Wi-Fi adapter and IR
sensor. IR sensor is mounted in front of the robot to send real time information to the
computer. An obstacle in front of the robot is sensed using IR sensors, which stops
further movement of the robot. Trials have been carried out on all these sensor func-
tions, so as to enhance the capability of the Bioloid humanoid robot.

A video showing a demonstration of the work presented in this paper can be ac-
cessed in [15]. As perceived in the video, the robot is seen walking as described theo-
retically and makes good use of its sensors for walking and navigation, and does not
trip over. Also, different walking speeds for the robot have been implemented namely,
fast and slow. The robot maintains its balance very well in both the mentioned walking
speeds.

5 Conclusion

As far as the authors are aware, this project study is the first of its kind, wherein a biped
robot is controlled using ROS and BBB. In what is referred to as the robot brain, the
main BBB controller, and the ROS software has been successfully implemented in the
structural body of the bioloid walking humanoid robot. The initial performance of the
Bioloid robot, with its revised brain i.e., the controller and the software seems promis-
ing. This transformed Bioloid humanoid walking robot is much enhanced in terms of
its autonomous behavior based on the sensed data.

Although, initial tests prove the approach to be reasonably robust, and integration
of the hardware with the software is successful, further room for improved performance
still exists. One of the improvements that can be proposed here is the implementation
of a USB camera along with some image processing in the software. This improvisation
would further enhance the performance of the robot.
6 Acknowledgment

The project is funded by an EPSRC grant EP/P00542X. The authors would also like to
thank School of Science and Technology, Middlesex University for funding this pro-
ject.

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