Panther

Overview

Autonomous, mobile robot platform dedicated for outdoor environment. Compliant with IP54 rate of protection. Depending on the use-case it can be equipped with a robot arm, LIDAR, RGB-D camera, GPS, UWB and other additional equipment. It can be used in various areas of application such as agriculture, rescue, inspection and many more.

Quick Start

Here is a very basic demo allowing you to use your Panther the first time without coding:

Rotate emergency push button + set power switch to right (it is 3 pose switch, set to the 3rd pose), and then wait for Wi-Fi to come up:

SSID: Panther_<serial_number>

PASS: husarion

Connect to Wi-Fi and open WEBUI ROS JOYSTICK [10.15.20.2:8000] that allows you to manually control your robot. You can also test Route Admin Panel that will be available under [10.15.20.3:8000] address (default addresses and ports for Panther).

When the robot is ready to work you should see it's lights flashing.

Route Admin Panel (RAP) is a preinstalled, open-source web user interface available on the Panther. By using RAP you can test autonomous drive of your robot - you can define navigation points and send orders to Panther to visit them. Before using RAP, at first you need to create a basic map of the environment you are going to test the robot - you can do it manually by a web-joystick available under [10.15.20.2:8000].

WARNING: RAP is not a production-ready software, that's a basic demo you use on your own risk. Especially some obstacles in your working environment might be invisible for sensors in your configuration. Feel free to modify this demo code. It is open source and available on Husarion's github https://github.com/husarion/route_admin_panel . Also be careful while using a WEBUI ROS JOYSTICK. During testing Panther, especially during a first run, be prepared to push the emergency button rapidly if needed. Panther is quite heavy robot with high power motors, so be carefull while working with it.

Remote Access

You can access your Panther over the Internet, from any place in the world, thanks to Husarnet VPN service (husarnet.com). Husarnet is preinstalled on the Panther. To access your robot from any place in the world, just follow these steps:

Create an account at https://app.husarnet.com/ and click [Create network] button. Go to the newly created Husarnet network and click [Add element] button. Go to a [join code] tab and copy your join code, it should look like this:

fc94:b01d:1803:8dd8:b293:5c7d:7639:932a/xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Open a Linux terminal in your laptop that is connected to the hotspot provided by Panther

$ ssh husarion@10.15.20.2 with password husarion

To connect Panther to Wi-Fi on 2.4GHz named MyNetwork with password MyPassword execute script:

~/panther_rutx11/setup.sh -s MyNetwork -p MyPassword -r 0

After message Network added exit terminal session by command exit

Note: Wi-Fi must be in range of Panther. For more information head to Network Section

$ ssh husarion@10.15.20.3 with password husarion

To join Panther to your Husarnet network execute:

husarnet join fc94:b01d:1803:8dd8:b293:5c7d:7639:932a/xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx myPanther

After 20 - 60 seconds you should be able to see you panther available at https://app.husarnet.com/. You can ping it:

$ ping6 myPanther

or SSH to it:

$ ssh husarion@myPanther Remember to connect also your laptop to the same Husarnet network as Panther (https://docs.husarnet.com/docs/begin-linux).

Hardware guide

Specification

Dimensions and weight

Name	Value
lenght	805 mm
width	840 mm
platform height	290 mm
overall height	365 mm
wheelbase	440 mm
track of wheels	695 mm
max. ground clearance	155mm
min. ground clearance	139 mm
up-side-down clearance	75 mm
weight	50 kg
protection index	IP54

Traction

Name	Value
max speed	2 m/s
maximum carrying capacity	80 kg
nominal shaft torque	17.4 Nm
maximum shaft torque	60 Nm
nominal total traction force	365 N
maximum total traction force	630 N
hil climb grade	96%
climb grade with 50 kgs cargo	40%
climb grade with 80 kgs cargo	30%
hill grade traversal	80%

Components

Standard

Component	Quantity	Description
Internal computer	1	Raspberry Pi 4B with Broadcom BCM2711 processor, quad-core Cortex-A72 (ARM v8) 64-bit SoC @ 1.5GHz and 4GB LPDDR4 RAM. Used to manage all the basic functions of a mobile platform.
On-board computer *	1	Intel NUC10i7FNK / ADLINK Vizi-AI / HP Z2 Mini Workstation with Nvidia graphics card
Router	1	Teltonika RUTX11 - Dual-band (2.4 GHz/5 GHz), Access Point / Client Mode, 4G LTE CAT 6 dual SIM, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, GNSS (GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo and QZSS) - This device ensures reliable communication between internal and external components of the robot system. Fast LTE communication and dual-band WiFi allow you to maintain communication with the robot. More details.
Inertial navigation system	1	PhidgetSpatial 3/3/3 Basic (3-axis compass, a 3-axis gyroscope, and a 3-axis accelerometer) More details.
Front and rear lights	2	Signal lighting made of 48 pcs. APA102C LED chips build into an aluminum profile on the robot's bumpers.
Brushless Motor with planetary gearbox	4	80PMB800K.80RBL-100 - Drive implemented on 4 durable motors 473 watts of power (900W instantaneous power) each and planetary gears with a maximum torque of 60Nm allows the robot to move at a speed of 2 m/s even uphill with a slope of 40% with a load of 50 kg.

Note: *By default, there is only one on-board computer in the robot. For detailed information please check System installation

External modules

• headlights,
• RGBD camera,
• thermal camera,
• manipulator,
• ect.

Most of external modules are attached to the profiles on the top of the platform. More details.

Communication

available as standard

• Ethernet,
• USB,
• Wi-Fi (2.4GHz & 5GHz),
• LTE,
• GPS.

possible to extend

• CAN,
• RS232,
• RS485,
• I2C,
• SPI

Block diagram

Graphic representation of Panther components and connections between them. A full, more detailed version of the block diagram can be downloaded here.

Power Switch and Emergency button

The robot is equipped with a three-position Main switch and Emergency push button.

Main switch position	Name of position	LED state	Power state
left	Off	Off	Turned off
center	Stage 1	On	The robot turned on except the motors
right	Stage 2	On	The robot fully ready for operation

Pushing the safety switch completely cuts off the power to the device.

Note: Cutting off the computer's power may cause data loss.

Power supply

The Panther is equipped with a set of battery cells in Lithium-Ion technology with a rated voltage of 36V and 20Ah, which gives it 740Wh of energy to use for calculations and move around in demanding terrain for about 3.5 hours. Moving the robot in a friendly terrain allows for a significant extension of the robot's working time up to 8 hours (standby time up to 40 hours).

Low battery level will be indicated by a change in the bumper light - both lights will fade in and out orange to indicate that the battery voltage has dropped below 35 volts. Read more in the Bumpers and signal lights section.

To meet the user's needs, the robot is equipped with 9 high-power electrical connectors that are able to provide a total of 505W of power to the user's devices. The supply voltages available on the user Power panel are 5V with a total current limitation up to 15A (3x female XT60), 12V limited to 20A (3x female XT60) and 19V limited to 10A (3x female XT60).

Note: One of 19V output is used by NUC and one of 12V output is used by router.

Name	Value
Battery capacity	740Wh
Runtime	3.5 h
Total output power	1 kW
Maximum peak power	1.8 kW
Max power for user use*	5V@15A, 12V@20A, 19V@10A
Total power for user use*	360W

Note: *Each of the voltage sources has an independent overcurrent switch, but the total power consumed by the devices plugged into the Power panel cannot exceed 360W.

Charging Panther

In the set with the robot, we provide a dedicated 42V @ 5A charger, which the robot will charge to 80% in 4 hours, and to 100% in 7 hours. The mains-operated charger is connected directly to the robot's charging connector on its housing.

Warning! It is highly recommended not to use the robot during the charging process! When the charger is connected to the robot, the robot should be turned off completely.

Warning! Please do not leave charger connected to the robot after the charging process is completed (the red LED and charger fan will turn off).

Mounting rails

Sensors, constructions and payload can be attached to the profiles on top of the robot.

The profiles used are aluminum V-slot 2020 profiles. The best way to attach the elements to them is to use mounting elements dedicated to this type of profiles, such as T-nuts, fittings and angles.

These profiles are fixed to the robot with four bolts DIN912 M8x40.

For more useful information in the field of mechanics, please see the document Overall dimensions and chapter CAD models.

Note The presence of railings has no effect on the water and dust resistance of the robot.

Bumpers and signal lights

The robot's bumbers are made of a profile with the same cross-section as the railings. They are 0.5 meters wide and, in addition to buffer shock and reducing potential damage when the robot collides with an obstacle at high speed, additional sensors can be mounted on them. By default, the signaling lighting is mounted on each bumper in the form of an aluminum profiles with 46 programmable RGB LEDs.

These lights may be widely used - to indicate the status of the robot, the direction of movement or the intention to change direction, warn about low battery or other detected errors, signal the status of the charging process or even for illuminate the area in front of the robot. More details regarding lights and their control is available in ROS API section.

Access to the interior

The robot's volume has been divided into three parts. The central space is dedicated to the user's components and electronics. Here, by default, the Inter NUC computer, RUTX11 router and the robot's battery are located. Two user panels has been led to this space. A panel distributing electric power for the user: And a panel for communication with the rest of the robot - as standard it is an Ethernet connector to the internal SBC): The front and rear spaces are occupied by motors and built-in electronics. For these spaces it is usually not needed to access by the user. Opening these spaces is mainly used for service work.

To access the components inside the user space, unscrew the top rails (4x DIN912 M8x40) and then unscrew Cover (18x DIN912 M5x12).

To access the components in service space, unscrew the top rails and then (19x DIN912 M5x12).

The bolts must be re-tightened with a torque of 4-5 Nm.

Warning! A necessary condition to meet the protection rate for external conditions and the faultless operation of the robot is the correct tightening of all screws fixing the Cover and both Decks!

Space inside the robot

Inside the robot, there is a dedicated volume of approximately 14.5 liters (3.8 gallons) for the user's equipment and devices. This part of the robot has the same water and dust tightness class as the robot. By default, there is the Intel NUC on-board computer and the RUTx11 router responsible for both the communication of the robot with the inner world and the connection of computers and sensors within the robot.

CAD models

To facilitate the work with the project based on Panther platform, we have prepared CAD models for download in three extension formats:

• STEP
• IGES
• STL

Software guide

Panther robot is equipped with the Raspberry Pi 4 SBC with custom OS based on Ubuntu 20.04 and contains all components needed to start working with ROS immediately. The microSD card with OS for the Raspberry Pi is included with each Panther robot. The OS contains software drivers for all components and has been modified to make the file system insensitive to sudden power cuts.

ROS API

Below are topics and services available in Panther:

Topic	Message type	Direction	Node	Description
/joint_states	sensor_msgs/JointState	publisher	/panther_driver	Wheels angular position [encoder pulses], speed [encoder pulses per second] and motor current [Amperes] oredered as [Front left, Front right, Rear left, Rear right]
/battery	sensor_msgs/BatteryState	publisher	/panther_driver	Battery voltage
/pose	geometry_msgs/Pose	publisher	/panther_driver	Position based on encoders
/cmd_vel	geometry_msgs/Twist	subscriber	/panther_driver	Velocity commands
/set_panther_lights	panther_lights/LightsMessage	service	/panther_lights	Control the front and rear lights
/imu/data	sensor_msgs/Imu	publisher	/imu_manager	Publishes imu data

GPS API:

GPS data in NMEA format is forwarded to main computer IP address (Intel NUC/ Vizi-AI) at port 5000, typically it is 10.15.20.3:5000.

Data frequency is 1Hz and can be interacted ether with GPSD daemon (gpsd -N -D 5 udp://10.15.20.3:5000) or directly with ROS package redirecting signal to ROS topic.

After cloning this package [IMPORTANT: use branch decode-udp-line] into your workspace (~/husarion_ws/src) use following command to run:

rosrun nmea_navsat_driver nmea_socket_driver _port:=5000 _local_ip:=10.15.20.3

or use launch file:

<launch>
  <arg name="port" default="5000" />
  <arg name="local_ip" default="10.15.20.3" />

  <node pkg="nmea_navsat_driver" type="nmea_socket_driver" name="nmea_socket_driver_node" output="screen">
    <param name="port" type="int" value="$(arg port)"/>
    <param name="local_ip" type="str" value="$(arg local_ip)" />
  </node>
</launch>

You should be able to see data on /fix topic (rostopic echo /fix).

Lights pattern could be set by calling appropriate message to /set_panther_lights service, to change animation to BLINKER_LEFT:

rosservice call /set_panther_lights "animation: 1
custom_color: ''"

To change animation to BLINKER_LEFT with custom colors (front is green, rear is red):

rosservice call /set_panther_lights "animation: 1
custom_color: '0x00FF00 0xFF0000'"

More details regarding lights control could be found in panther_lights documentation.

More details regarding driver could be found in panther_driver documentation.

Disable autostart ROS nodes

Brand new Panther launches some ROS nodes, you can disable them just by sending systemctl commands.

ROSCORE :

By default roscore starts at main computer and can be disabled by logging (default ssh husarion@10.15.20.3 pass:husarion) and executing following command:

systemctl disable roscore.service

ROUTE ADMIN PANEL

By default route admin panel starts at main computer and can be disabled by logging (default ssh husarion@10.15.20.3 pass:husarion) and executing following command:

systemctl disable route_admin_panel.service

PANTHER DRIVER

Panther driver starts at RPI SBC and it's responsible for controlling motors, and also sync time from main computer it's not recommended to disable this because you can end up with timestamp problems. Instead we recommend to customize launch file by setting appropriate arguments. If you still want to disable this use:

sudo systemctl disable launch_driver.service

External documentation

• Slamtec RpLidar scanner API is documented in rplidar repository

Joystick control

The Raspberry Pi SBC has a preinstalled WEBUI with simple joystick. The joystick allows user to issue simple motion commands for the robot. To use the joystick, open RASPBERRY_PI_IP_ADDRESS:8000.

System installation

In some cases you will need to restore Panther's system to its default settings:

• in case of accidential damage of the system,
• to update the OS,
• to clear all user changes and restore factory settings.

Raspberry Pi 4

The reinstallation procedure for on-board RPI:

1. Extract SD card from Raspberry Pi SBC by pushing card carefully until it is released back by card holder, thel pull it out. In order to find SD card slot, you will need to disassemble part of the top cover.
2. Download image for Raspberry Pi from here.
3. Extract downloaded image (For this process we recommend using unxz tool).
4. Flash the extracted image onto SD card (For this process we recommend using Etcher but any image writing tool will be good):

• If you want to replace the included card, remember that you need to use at least 16 GB capacity and 10 speed class micro SD card.
• Download Etcher and install it.
• Connect an SD card reader with the SD card inside.
• Open Etcher and select from your hard drive .img file that you extracted.
• Select the SD card you wish to write your image to.
• Review your selections and click 'Flash!' to begin writing data to the SD card.

5. Insert SD card back to Raspberry Pi

Intel NUC / HP G2

To install system on Intel NUC or HP G2, you can download created ready to use Ubuntu20 image.

1. Download image from here.
2. Create bootable pendrive with Etcher.
3. Insert pendrive into one of Panther's USB ports and install by selecting appropriate option during boot.

Optional you can install clear image of your favorite Linux distro and use husarion docker

Vizi-AI

To install system on Vizi-AI

How to install and use

Install

1. Download image - official instruction is here

2. Flash the extracted image onto SD card (For this process we recommend using Etcher but any image writing tool will be good):

3. When using Vizi-AI:

   • Connect your Vizi to Internet, insert SD card, plug in keyboard and power on.
   • Login using L:root, P:root
   • Enable ssh with following commands:

   sed -i 's/#PermitRootLogin prohibit-password /PermitRootLogin yes/' /etc/ssh/sshd_config
   systemctl enable ssh
   systemctl start ssh
   ip a # get your IP address for connection (should be under br-enp6s0)(#should be 10.15.20.3)
   

   • Upload file set_vizi-ai.sh (scp set_vizi-ai.sh root@10.15.20.3:/root)
   • Execute file ./set_vizi-ai.sh - This will create user husarion with password husarion set your environment and also download container.

4. When not using script download image

docker pull khasreto/panther_system_ros1:latest

5. Run image

docker run  --net=host -e ROS_MASTER_URI -e ROS_IP -it -v /tmp/.X11-unix:/tmp/.X11-unix -v /dev:/dev --privileged --name panther_system_ros1 khasreto/panther_system_ros1:latest

The Code Explained:

--net=host - start a container in the host network, from the perspective of the network look like they are running on the host itself.

-e ROS_MASTER_URI -e ROS_IP - set environment variables (should be inside ~/.bashrc).

-it - interactive terminal.

-v /tmp/.X11-unix:/tmp/.X11-unix - Set the X11 server communication.

-v /dev:/dev - Gives permissions to use /dev/*, needed to launch for example Lidar.

--privileged - Give extended privileges to this container, container can not only access to all hosts devices but also use most of host computer’s kernel functions.

--name panther_system_ros1 - Name of container (the one used for future launches and container identification).

khasreto/panther_system_ros1:latest - Name of image.

6. If you want to autostart:

touch /etc/systemd/system/docker-panther-system.service

To file /etc/systemd/system/docker-panther-system.service paste following code:

[Unit]
Description=Panther System ROS1 noetic Container
Requires=docker.service
After=docker.service NetworkManager.service time-sync.target

[Service]
Restart=always
ExecStart=/usr/bin/docker start -a panther_system_ros1
ExecStop=/usr/bin/docker stop -t 2 panther_system_ros1

[Install]
WantedBy=local.target

Enable service

sudo systemctl enable docker-panther-system.service

Usage

• If you have made an autostart then to access container use following command:

  docker exec -it panther_system_ros1 /bin/bash

• In case you haven't made an autostart use:

  docker start -i panther_system_ros1

  Then

  docker exec -it panther_system_ros1 /bin/bash

Launching navigation example

The user space PC comes with preinstalled Ubuntu 20.04 and ROS, the same as the Raspberry Pi SBC. PC also has a route_admin_panel as an example application.

NOTE: If using Docker run every command inside container

To start the RAP:

PC:

roscore
roslaunch route_admin_panel demo_panther_classic.launch # chose between classic mix and mecanum depending of your wheel configuration

RPI:

roslaunch panther_driver driver.launch 

Then open in browser:

PANTHER_IP_ADDRESS:8000 #default 10.15.20.3:8000

You should see interface like below:

Network

Overview

Panther is equipped with a RUTX11 router running open-source firmware OpenWRT, which provide following interfaces:

Ehernet

• 1 x WAN 10/100/1000Mbps (by default configured as a LAN port)
• 3 x LAN 10/100/1000Mbps
• 2 ports are available for user equipment

Wireless

• Two radios (2.4GHz and 5GHz)
• Support for 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) with link rate up to 867Mbps, fast roaming with 802.11r
• Works as access point (AP) and/or as a client/station (STA)
• External antennas with 2dBi gain

Cellular

• Dual-Sim with fail-over
• LTE (4G) Cat 6
• External antenna with 3dBi gain

GNSS

• Support for GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou
• Integrated into ROS

Each form of connectivity can be part of automatic WAN fail-over in order to provide continuous connection to external services. More information is available on manufacturer site. Some RUTX11 configuration scripts are available on our GitHub repository.

Connecting Panther to Wi-Fi

Panther can be connected Wi-Fi on 2.4GHz or 5GHz band. It will be used as WAN source and be prioritized over cellular connection. Single radio can act simultaneously as AP (access point) and STA (client).

Connecting to 2.4GHz Wi-Fi

Open a linux terminal in your laptop that is connected to the hotspot provided by Panther

$ ssh husarion@10.15.20.2 with password husarion To connect Panther to Wi-Fi on 2.4GHz named MyNetwork with password MyPassword execute script:

~/panther_rutx11/setup.sh -s MyNetwork -p MyPassword -r 0

After message Network added exit terminal session by command exit.

Connecting to 5GHz Wi-Fi

Due to limitation of Wi-Fi chipset it is not possible to connect to 5GHz network without its brief shutdown. Its advised to connect to Panther with 2.4GHz Wi-Fi when executing commands below.

$ ssh husarion@10.15.20.2 with password husarion To connect Panther to Wi-Fi on 2.4GHz named MyNetwork with password MyPassword execute script:

~/panther_rutx11/setup.sh -s MyNetwork -p MyPassword -r 1

After message Network added exit terminal session by command exit.

Access to router WebUI

Further configuration can be done through WebUI, which is available under 10.15.20.1 address. Login with username admin and password Husarion1. Consult Teltonika RUTX11 manual for more information.

Note: It is advised to change default password.

Resetting router to default settings

In case of misconfiguration it is possible to reset router to working default settings (as shipped to you). To do it press and hold reset button on powered on RUTX11 for at least six seconds. Signal strength LEDs indicate elapsed time. After all five LEDs are lit up, reset button can be released. After automatic restart router is ready to be used.

Docs and links

All helpful documents and links in one place:

• Safety instructions - to avoid malfunction or damage your Panther please read this safety manual before use,
• Panther schematic block diagram - basic robot components and connections between them,
• Overall dimensions - three basic projections of the platform,
• Teltonika RUTX11 manual
• Teltonika RUTX11 datasheet