ROS2 Joystick Listener

This repository contains a ROS2 package that subscribes to joystick inputs and publishes corresponding velocity commands to the /cmd_vel topic.

Prerequisites

Before using this package, you need to install ROS2. Please follow the official ROS2 installation guide: ROS2 Installation Guide

Required Packages

Ensure that you have the necessary ROS2 packages installed before running this repository. You can install them using the following commands:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install ros-humble-joy  # Change 'humble' to your ROS2 distribution name if different

Checking Joystick Detection

Before running the package, verify that your joystick is detected by your system.

Check if the system detects your joystick:

ls /dev/input/

Look for a device like js0 (e.g., /dev/input/js0). If not detected, try reconnecting your joystick or installing necessary drivers.

Test joystick inputs:

jstest /dev/input/js0

If the jstest command is not found, install joystick utilities:

sudo apt install joystick

Building the Package

Navigate to your ROS2 workspace and clone this repository:

cd ~/ros2_ws/src
git clone https://github.com/Mehmetmrtgl/ros2_joystick.git

Then, build the package:

cd ~/ros2_ws
colcon build --packages-select joy_listener_cpp
source install/setup.bash

Running the Nodes

To launch the system and start listening to joystick inputs, run:

ros2 launch joy_listener_cpp start_system.launch.py

This will start:

• joy_node: Reads joystick inputs and publishes them to the /joy topic.
• joy_listener: Subscribes to /joy and publishes velocity commands to /cmd_vel.

Testing the Output

To check if velocity commands are being published, open a new terminal and run:

ros2 topic echo /cmd_vel

You should see messages updating when you move the joystick.

Troubleshooting

• If joy_node does not publish messages, ensure that your joystick is properly detected and jstest works.
• If cmd_vel messages are not appearing, check that joy_listener is running.
• Source the workspace if required: source install/setup.bash

Contribution

Feel free to open issues or submit pull requests if you find any bugs or want to improve this repository.