Guide to Install Open-RMF on Ubuntu 24.04 with ROS 2 Kilted Kaiju

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This guide provides step-by-step instructions to install Open-RMF on Ubuntu 24.04 with ROS 2 Kilted Kaiju. Keep in mind that this guide assumes you have a basic understanding of Linux commands and ROS 2 concepts.

Open-RMF (Open Robotics Middleware Framework) is an open-source middleware framework designed to integrate different robotic systems and infrastructure for coordinated fleet management and automation. This guide covers installing dependencies, setting up the workspace, and running a demo.

Requirements

Memory (RAM): 16 GB recommended (8 GB minimum but note that the Gazebo simulation in the demo may not run properly with only 8 GB)
Operating System: Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Noble Numbat)
Robot Operating System (ROS): ROS 2 Kilted Kaiju

Setup ROS 2 Kilted Kaiju

Set Locale

Make sure you have a locale that supports UTF-8. If you are in a minimal environment (such as a Docker container), the locale may be something minimal like POSIX. You can test with the following settings, but any UTF-8-supported locale should work.

# Check for UTF-8 support
locale

# If not set, configure the locale
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y locales
sudo locale-gen en_US en_US.UTF-8
sudo update-locale LC_ALL=en_US.UTF-8 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
export LANG=en_US.UTF-8

# Verify settings
locale

Install Build Tools

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y build-essential

Add ROS 2 Kilted Kaiju Repository

You need to add the ROS 2 APT repository to your system.

First, ensure that the Ubuntu Universe Repository is enabled:

sudo apt install -y software-properties-common
sudo add-apt-repository -y universe

Install the ros-apt-source package, which provides keys and APT source configuration for the ROS repositories:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y curl
export ROS_APT_SOURCE_VERSION=$(curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/ros-infrastructure/ros-apt-source/releases/latest | grep -F "tag_name" | awk -F\" '{print $4}')
curl -s -L -o /tmp/ros2-apt-source.deb "https://github.com/ros-infrastructure/ros-apt-source/releases/download/${ROS_APT_SOURCE_VERSION}/ros2-apt-source_${ROS_APT_SOURCE_VERSION}.$(. /etc/os-release && echo $VERSION_CODENAME)_all.deb" # For Ubuntu derivatives, use $UBUNTU_CODENAME
sudo apt install -y /tmp/ros2-apt-source.deb

Install Development Tools

As we need to build ROS packages and perform other development tasks, install the development tools:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y ros-dev-tools

Install ROS 2 Kilted Kaiju

To install the desktop version of ROS 2 (includes ROS, RViz, demos, and tutorials):

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y ros-kilted-desktop

Setup Environment

Set up your shell environment by sourcing the following file. To make it persistent, add it to your .bashrc:

source /opt/ros/kilted/setup.bash

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Replace .bash with your shell if you are not using Bash. Options include: setup.bash, setup.sh, setup.zsh.

Try Examples

As ros-kilted-desktop has been installed, you can run some example nodes.

In one terminal, source the setup file and run a C++ talker:

source /opt/ros/kilted/setup.bash
ros2 run demo_nodes_cpp talker

In another terminal, source the setup file and run a Python listener:

source /opt/ros/kilted/setup.bash
ros2 run demo_nodes_py listener

You should see the talker publishing messages and the listener receiving them. This verifies that both the C++ and Python APIs are functioning correctly.

Setup Open-RMF (Open Robotics Middleware Framework)

Installing Dependencies

Install all non-ROS dependencies of Open-RMF packages:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y python3-fastapi \
  python3-requests \
  python3-shapely \
  python3-socketio \
  python3-yaml \
  ros-kilted-ros-gz-bridge

Setup and Update `rosdep`

rosdep helps you easily install system dependencies for source code packages.

# Run this only the first time
sudo rosdep init

# Always run this before building ROS workspaces
rosdep update

Update `colcon mixin`

colcon mixins help configure colcon for easier builds using predefined settings.

colcon mixin add default https://raw.githubusercontent.com/colcon/colcon-mixin-repository/master/index.yaml
colcon mixin update default

Install Open-RMF

Install the core Open-RMF Debian packages via apt.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y ros-kilted-rmf-dev

Install Demos and Other Packages

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The above installation only installs core Open-RMF packages. To run demos and additional tooling, clone the full source repositories below.

# Setup directories
cd ~/
mkdir -p ~/rmf_ws/src
cd ~/rmf_ws/src

# Clone the RMF repositories
git clone -b kilted https://github.com/open-rmf/rmf_utils.git
git clone -b kilted https://github.com/open-rmf/rmf_ros2.git
git clone -b kilted https://github.com/open-rmf/rmf_traffic.git
git clone -b kilted https://github.com/open-rmf/rmf_traffic_editor.git
git clone -b kilted https://github.com/open-rmf/rmf_demos.git

These repositories include demos and packages such as:

Build the Workspace

Before building, make sure to source the correct ROS and workspace environments:

# Source ROS environment
source /opt/ros/kilted/setup.bash

# Optional: Ignore if not yet built
if [ -f ~/rmf_ws/install/setup.bash ]; then
  source ~/rmf_ws/install/setup.bash
fi

cd ~/rmf_ws

# Run a few times if get error due to cross-dependencies
colcon build

Running Demo for Testing

To verify the installation, launch the RMF Gazebo office demo:

# Go to the RMF workspace
cd ~/rmf_ws

# Source both environments: ROS 2 and RMF workspace
source /opt/ros/kilted/setup.bash
source ~/rmf_ws/install/setup.bash

# Launch demo
ros2 launch rmf_demos_gz office.launch.xml

Setup Open-RMF Web

Following instructions guide you through setting up the Open-RMF Web, including cloning the repository, installing dependencies, and running both backend and frontend services.

Clone the Repository

Clone the rmf-web repository to your home directory:

cd ~/
git clone https://github.com/open-rmf/rmf-web.git
cd ~/rmf-web

Install `pnpm` and Node.js

pnpm is an efficient package manager used for managing Node.js packages.

curl -fsSL https://get.pnpm.io/install.sh | bash -
source ~/.bashrc
pnpm env use --global lts  # This will install the latest LTS version of Node.js

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You may need to restart your terminal or add the pnpm path to your shell profile like .bashrc or .zshrc.

Install Python Virtual Environment Tools

Install Python 3's pip and venv modules (needed for ROS-related tooling):

sudo apt install -y python3-pip python3-venv

Install Project Dependencies

Use pnpm to install the required JavaScript/TypeScript dependencies:

cd ~/rmf-web
pnpm install

This will install all dependencies defined across the monorepo using pnpm.

Running the Development Environment

After completing installation, you can now run both the backend and frontend servers. Open two separate terminal windows/tabs and follow the steps below.

Backend: Start the API Server

Open a new terminal window. The backend powers the API used by the dashboard frontend.

# Source ROS 2 and RMF workspace environments
source /opt/ros/kilted/setup.bash
source ~/rmf_ws/install/setup.bash

# Navigate to the API server package
cd ~/rmf-web/packages/api-server

# Start the API server
pnpm start

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Any changes to the backend code will require restarting this server.

Frontend: Start the Dashboard

In another terminal window, start the frontend (dashboard) for live development.

# Source ROS 2 and RMF workspace environments
source /opt/ros/kilted/setup.bash
source ~/rmf_ws/install/setup.bash

# Navigate to the dashboard framework package
cd ~/rmf-web/packages/rmf-dashboard-framework

# Start the demo dashboard example
pnpm start:example examples/demo

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The frontend rebuilds on changes, but you may need to refresh the browser to see updates.

Access the Dashboard

Once both backend and frontend are running, open your browser and navigate to: http://localhost:5173

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Login Credentials

If prompted with a login screen:

Username: admin
Password: admin

Ports Used

Backend (API Server): http://localhost:8000
Frontend (Dashboard): http://localhost:5173

Running Demo with Gazebo and optional Web Interface

Terminal 1: Start the Backend

# Source ROS 2 and RMF workspace environments
source /opt/ros/kilted/setup.bash
source ~/rmf_ws/install/setup.bash

# Navigate to the API server package
cd ~/rmf-web/packages/api-server

# Start the API server
pnpm start

Terminal 2: Start the Frontend

# Source ROS 2 and RMF workspace environments
source /opt/ros/kilted/setup.bash
source ~/rmf_ws/install/setup.bash

# Navigate to the dashboard framework package
cd ~/rmf-web/packages/rmf-dashboard-framework

# Start the demo dashboard example
pnpm start:example examples/demo

Terminal 3: Launch the Demo

For Gazebo only:

# Source ROS 2 and RMF workspace environments
source /opt/ros/kilted/setup.bash
source ~/rmf_ws/install/setup.bash

ros2 launch rmf_demos_gz office.launch.xml

For Gazebo with web browser support:

# Source ROS 2 and RMF workspace environments
source /opt/ros/kilted/setup.bash
source ~/rmf_ws/install/setup.bash

ros2 launch rmf_demos_gz office.launch.xml \
  server_uri:="ws://localhost:8000/_internal"

Terminal 4: Send Tasks

# Source ROS 2 and RMF workspace environments
source /opt/ros/kilted/setup.bash
source ~/rmf_ws/install/setup.bash

# Both of the following tasks are using Office World
# Task 1: Delivery
ros2 run rmf_demos_tasks dispatch_delivery \
  -p pantry \
  -ph coke_dispenser \
  -d hardware_2 \
  -dh coke_ingestor \
  --use_sim_time

# Task 2: Patrol
ros2 run rmf_demos_tasks dispatch_patrol \
  -p coe lounge \
  -n 3 \
  --use_sim_time

Additional Resources

Launch commands and demo-specific instructions are available at the official RMF Demos GitHub repository.

Requirements​

Setup ROS 2 Kilted Kaiju​

Set Locale​

Install Build Tools​

Add ROS 2 Kilted Kaiju Repository​

Install Development Tools​

Install ROS 2 Kilted Kaiju​

Setup Environment​

Try Examples​

Setup Open-RMF (Open Robotics Middleware Framework)​

Installing Dependencies​

Setup and Update rosdep​

Update colcon mixin​

Install Open-RMF​

Install Demos and Other Packages​

Build the Workspace​

Running Demo for Testing​

Setup Open-RMF Web​

Clone the Repository​

Install pnpm and Node.js​

Install Python Virtual Environment Tools​

Install Project Dependencies​

Running the Development Environment​

Backend: Start the API Server​

Frontend: Start the Dashboard​

Access the Dashboard​

Running Demo with Gazebo and optional Web Interface​

Terminal 1: Start the Backend​

Terminal 2: Start the Frontend​

Terminal 3: Launch the Demo​

Terminal 4: Send Tasks​

Additional Resources​

Important Links​

Requirements

Setup ROS 2 Kilted Kaiju

Set Locale

Install Build Tools

Add ROS 2 Kilted Kaiju Repository

Install Development Tools

Install ROS 2 Kilted Kaiju

Setup Environment

Try Examples

Setup Open-RMF (Open Robotics Middleware Framework)

Installing Dependencies

Setup and Update `rosdep`

Update `colcon mixin`

Install Open-RMF

Install Demos and Other Packages

Build the Workspace

Running Demo for Testing

Setup Open-RMF Web

Clone the Repository

Install `pnpm` and Node.js

Install Python Virtual Environment Tools

Install Project Dependencies

Running the Development Environment

Backend: Start the API Server

Frontend: Start the Dashboard

Access the Dashboard

Running Demo with Gazebo and optional Web Interface

Terminal 1: Start the Backend

Terminal 2: Start the Frontend

Terminal 3: Launch the Demo

Terminal 4: Send Tasks

Additional Resources

Important Links