https://mshields.name/tags/work/ Recent content in work on Matthew Shields Hugo -- gohugo.io © 2022 - 2026 Matthew Shields Tue, 29 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://mshields.name/blog/2023-08-30-preempt-rt-install-for-ubuntu-20-04/ Tue, 29 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://mshields.name/blog/2023-08-30-preempt-rt-install-for-ubuntu-20-04/ Preamble I have recently been working with robotic systems that have a greater requirement for deterministic operation. While Ubuntu will likely never be an RTOS the PREEMPT RT patch does allow for soft real-time constraints on specified threads which can be enough of a step up for many research applications. While there are other guides on how to do this online (some linked below) this post will present as a record for the steps I needed to follow recently for my system. https://mshields.name/blog/2023-08-30-using-chrony-to-synchronise-system-clocks-for-robotic-platforms/ Tue, 29 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://mshields.name/blog/2023-08-30-using-chrony-to-synchronise-system-clocks-for-robotic-platforms/ Preamble If you are utilising multiple Ubuntu systems in your robotic deployment it can be advantageous to have the system clocks synchronised. This is a fairly common occurrence with engineers looking to utilise the distributed nature of ROS and other middleware. If you are interested in this you might also be interested in my previous post on sharing internet connections over a LAN. Requirements For this you’ll need at least two separate Ubuntu systems connected to each other over a LAN, VPN or similar. https://mshields.name/blog/2023-08-11-network-manager-useful-commands/ Fri, 11 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://mshields.name/blog/2023-08-11-network-manager-useful-commands/ Preamble Some Basics Establishing Connections with Static IPs Identify Network Interface Names Auto Connect Adding an IP Route Multiple IP Addresses Sharing an Internet Connection Hey you! Found this useful or interesting? Any question, comments, corrections or suggestions? Preamble Network Manager is great and is an unsung hero of our modern world. Some Basics See which connections you have already setup… sudo nmcli c s See details of a given connection… https://mshields.name/blog/2022-05-01-setting-up-a-georeferenced-rtk-base-station/ Sun, 01 May 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://mshields.name/blog/2022-05-01-setting-up-a-georeferenced-rtk-base-station/ Preamble In my previous post I detailed how to use RINEX data to create a sub-decimeter level position solution. Using RINEX data in this way from government sources ties you to an agreed upon reference datum. With your own base station this can be problematic as the accuracy of the established position of the station will likely not be geographically accurate. This then leads to repeatable rover solutions but they will have some offset versus many other georeferrenced data sets, eg. https://mshields.name/blog/2022-04-16-ground-vehicle-centre-of-mass-optimisation/ Sat, 16 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://mshields.name/blog/2022-04-16-ground-vehicle-centre-of-mass-optimisation/ Preamble In a previous post on Weight Distribution in Mobile Ground Vehicles I provided a model for determining the forces able to be generated by a ground vehicle, which ultimately will be a limiting factor in performance. I also provided a method for establishing the centre of mass location of a ground vehicle, providing that you have one to start with. If you are at an earlier stage in design you may not have a ground vehicle to analyse and want to get a good estimate for the centre of mass location prior to manufacturing your first prototype. https://mshields.name/blog/2022-03-10-weight-distribution-in-prototype-mobile-robots-for-outdoor-use/ Sun, 03 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://mshields.name/blog/2022-03-10-weight-distribution-in-prototype-mobile-robots-for-outdoor-use/ Preamble A ground vehicle’s motion is generally only ever limited by one of two things, torque or friction. There are many ways to try and maximise both of these. This post will look to address friction by considering the normal forces at the contact patches between the wheels and the ground. When designing a mobile ground vehicle, weight distribution is one area that can be optimised fairly freely to provide large benefits. https://mshields.name/blog/2022-02-26-setting-up-a-robot-lan-with-internet-vpn-connection-sharing/ Sat, 26 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://mshields.name/blog/2022-02-26-setting-up-a-robot-lan-with-internet-vpn-connection-sharing/ Preamble It can be common to want to run multiple embedded computers on a robotic system. Having multiple systems on a hard LAN makes sense, to enable low latency communication between them. If the robot can connect to a local WiFi source that provides an internet connection then it can be quite easy for each embedded system to connect to the wireless network also, as most will come with a WiFi card. https://mshields.name/blog/2022-02-15-reports-from-the-frontline-of-raas/ Tue, 15 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://mshields.name/blog/2022-02-15-reports-from-the-frontline-of-raas/ Preamble Surely whole point of a robotics as a service (RaaS) is to deploy robots and get paid. But there are a lot of considerations that are easy to overlook when making sure you are ready. The idea for most people who get into this field often looks something like this: Design a robot Build some of those robots Deploy them … Profit? But inside those ellipses be dragons. Let’s try and figure out how to conquer them.