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Setting Up d.ASH

As mentioned previously, the d.ASH consists of three main components - d.ASH server, d.ASH service, and d.ASH autonomy engine. This section of the d.ASH SDK documentation provides details about setting up the d.ASH components including compiling and testing.

4.1 Installing d.ASH Dependencies

To install the remaining d.ASH dependencies using pip, the following desktop dependencies must be set up prior:

If the above dependencies have been installed, proceed by running the following command to install the rest of the python packages: 

python3.7 config_libs.py
Please ensure you are in the \dash-sdk directory before running. Following the instructions prompted by the terminal to proceed with installation.

4.2 Setting up d.ASH Server

To set up the d.ASH server, you will need to configure the d.ASH server configuration file - robot_config.json - located in the folder \dash-sdk\configs. 

dash-sdk/
└─ configs/
    └─ robot_config.json
    └─ ...

Follow the variable definitions for robot_config.json to set up the file correctly for the d.ASH server.

Once robot_config.json has been set up, run the d.ASH server by executing the following command on your terminal:

python3.7 ./dash_server.py robot_config.json

4.3 Setting up d.ASH Service

To set up the d.ASH service, you will need to configure the d.ASH service configuration file - dash_service_config.json - located in the folder \dash-sdk\configs. 

dash-sdk/
└─ configs/
    └─ dash_service_config.json
    └─ ...

First, run runrest to see available IP address for your rest server: 

runrest
Pick the index of the IP address you like and append it to the activeIPIdx variable in dash_service_config.json: 
"activeIPIdx" : 1, # where '1' is the chosen IP address index
Then, you will need to set your preferredIP address, that is, the IP address for the computer onboard your robot. This IP address will have precedence over activeIPIdx. Similarly, replace the default IP address with your preferred IP address in dash_service_config.json: 
"preferredIP" : "10.8.0.5", # where '10.8.0.5' is the preferred IP address

Ensure that the IP address of the onboard computer is within the same subnet by the remote client. Lastly, you will need to change the <PATH_OF_SDK> of cmdPath in dash_service_config.json: 

"cmdPath" : "<PATH>"

To do this, use pwd to print your current working directory path and replace <PATH_OF_SDK> with the path printed. For example, if your current directory is /home/dash_sdk/py_server:

"cmdPath" : "/home/dash_sdk"

To test the d.ASH service, you'll need to run the d.ASH server by running the following command: 

./robot_rest <PATH_TO_SDK>/configs/dash_service_config.json

Now that your d.ASH service is running, you can use our d.ASH Pilot app. To launch the d.ASH Pilot app, simply search for it in your Windows search bar. Now, login to the system and connect to your robot to start controlling your robot. For more information on the d.ASH Pilot, refer to the d.ASH Pilot guide.

4.4 Setting up d.ASH Autonomy Engine

To set up the d.ASH autonomy engine, you will need to configure the d.ASH autonomy configuration file - auto_config.json - located in the folder /dash-sdk/configs/.

dash-sdk/
└─ configs/
    └─ auto_config.json
    └─ ...

Follow the variable definitions for auto_config.json to set up the file correctly for the d.ASH autonomy engine.

Once auto_config.json has been set up, test the d.ASH autonomy engine by run the executable below to start autonomy driver. Note to replace <PATH_TO_SDK> with your current working directory containing the d.ASH SDK:

./dash_autonomy <PATH_TO_SDK>/config/auto_config.json

To find your current working directory, use pwd. For example, if your directory is /home/dash-sdk, you would run the following command to test d.ASH autonomy:

./dash_autonomy /home/dash-sdk/config/auto_config.json

You will need to run d.ASH service first before running the d.ASH server and the d.ASH autonomy engine.

On a seperate terminal, start a simple roslaunch test by running the following prompt, replacing <PATH_TO_SDK> with your current working directory containing the d.ASH SDK:

cd \launch
roslaunch <PATH_TO_SDK>\dash_sdk\launch\simple_joy.launch

Launch files have been prepared for setup - either with the Velodyne VLP-16 lidar sensor or the Ouster OS1-32 lidar sensor. These lauch files can be found in under the \dash-sdk\launch folder. You can also create your own sensor launch files for your tests.