Surveyor SRV-1 Setup for Microsoft Robotics Studio (MSRS)

On this page, you will find download links and configuration information for camera, sensor and motor drive services supporting the Surveyor SRV-1 wireless mobile robot under Microsoft Robotics Studio 1.0 & 1.5. Links are provided for complete sample code as well as pre-compiled binaries for MSRS 1.0. Check the support links below in case you encounter any difficulties.

Please note that SRV-1 services are now compatible with MSRS 1.5. You'll need to run DssProjectMigration.exe on the SRV-1 sources and then recompile by running BuildSolution.cmd. If you were running MSRS 1.0, make certain to clear out the cache using

       del "%MRI_INSTANCE_DIR%\store"\contractDirectory*.xml".

Also, it's been reported that there is an error in srv1AnalogActuator.cs, requiring changing line 41 to:

       [ServicePort("/srv1analogactuator", AllowMultipleInstances = true)]

We'll update the code shortly to correct this.

Downloads


Software Setup


To configure the Surveyor SRV-1 Services under MSRS:
  • Download and install Microsoft Robotics Studio in C:\

  • Copy the contents of the zip file to C:\[MSRS Dir]\samples\Platforms\Surveyor\SRV-1. You may need to create the folders for Surveyor and SRV-1.

  • Run "Microsoft Robotics Studio Command Prompt" from the Start menu.

  • Enter the followings in the command prompt to build the project:
    • cd samples\Platforms\Surveyor\SRV-1
    • *DssProjectMigration.*
    • BuildSolution.cmd

  • If you have difficulty building the solution, a pre-compiled version of all of the service files are found here (unzip under the main Microsoft Robotics Studio directory -
          http://www.surveyor.com/srvdownload/SRV1ServicesBinary-061216.zip

  • Edit samples\Config\Surveyor.SRV1.Controller.config.xml to configure the COM port.
    • notepad ..\..\..\Config\Surveyor.SRV1.Controller.config.xml

Operation


We have included some batch files to run the SRV-1 Services with samples from the MSRS tutorials. You can use the Surveyor SRV-1 services to work with your own DSSP services to do more complicated tasks. The Surveyor SRV-1 Drive Service interfaces the MSRS Generic Drive Service and can be used by any service that supports the Generic Drive. The Surveyor Camera Service is based on the implementation of the WebCam Service in MSRS. These services were developed for the SRV-1 by SharpLogic Software.

To run the SRV-1 Drive Service
Turn on the robot. Run StartDrive.cmd. This will start DssHost with the SRV-1 vehicle manifest and opens the MSRS RoboticsTutorial4 form to drive the robot in four directions. This will also open the browser to view the drive service in DssHost. If you get "Page not found" in the browser, wait until you see the "Manifest load complete" message in command window, then copy the URL, and open it in a new instance of Internet Explorer. To close DssHost press (Ctrl-C).

To run the SRV-1 Camera Service with Simple Dashboard
Turn on the robot. Run StartDriveSimpleDashboard.cmd. This will start the drive service with the MSRS SimpleDashboard form. Enter localhost for Machine, or enter the name of the PC to which the SRV-1 radio controller is connected. For Port enter 50001 and click on Connect button. When the service is connected, double click on the "/drivedifferentialtwowheel" to turn on the motors. Now you can press the Drive button and control the robot by moving the cross inside the direction circle. You can also attach an Xbox GamePad to the SimpleDashboard and drive the robot.

To run the SRV-1 IR as Contact Sensor
Turn on the robot. Run StartIRTouch.cmd. This will start the drive service with the RoboticsTutorial3 sample which implements a very basic wandering behavior. If you get an object close to the front or rear or the robot it will start going to the opposite direction and tries to avoid obstacles.

To run the SRV-1 Camera Service and Scan View
Turn on the robot. Run StartCamera.cmd. This will start DssHost with the appropriate manifest file and open the browser to view the camera service. If you get "Page not found" in the browser, wait until you see the "Manifest load complete" message in command window, then copy the URL, and open it in a new instance of Internet Explorer. To switch between the Camera and Scan views, select it from the Camera drop-down list and click on Change. You can also change the resolution by selecting the Capture Format. To close DssHost press (Ctrl-C).

To record the capture images from Surveyor SRV-1 camera
Turn on the robot. Run StartCameraRecord.cmd. You should see the file webcam.stream in C:\ growing size as the camera service records the capture data. If webcam.stream file already exists, the new stream will be appended to the end of the file, so to record a new file delete the old one.

To playback the recorded stream
The recorded stream can be played back by Robotic Studio's WebCamReplay Service. Run StartCameraReplay.cmd. When the DSS services are loaded, refresh the browser and click on the "WebCam Replay" on the left pane to open the webcam replay page. Press the Start button to see the replay.

To view the camera and drive
Turn on the robot. Run StartCameraAndDrive.cmd. This will open the camera view in the browser and open a simple winforms window to direct the robot.

Troubleshooting and Technical Support



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Last Updated - 11 January 2008 14:35 GMT
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