ROS2 Topics¶

All topics use Zenoh as the transport layer. The phone acts as the bridge between ARKit/sensors and the ROS2 graph.

Published by the phone → robot / ROS2 graph¶

Sensors¶

Topic	Type	Hz	Description
`/imu/data`	`sensor_msgs/Imu`	~25	Accelerometer + gyroscope from CoreMotion. Frame: `imu_link`.
`/fix`	`sensor_msgs/NavSatFix`	~1	GPS coordinates from CoreLocation.
`/odom`	`nav_msgs/Odometry`	~8	ARKit visual-inertial odometry pose. Frame: `odom` → `base_link`.
`/tf`	`tf2_msgs/TFMessage`	~8	Live transforms: `odom → base_link`, `base_link → camera_link`.
`/tf_static`	`tf2_msgs/TFMessage`	latched	Static camera extrinsics. Published once on connect.

Camera¶

Topic	Type	Hz	Description
`/camera/image_raw`	`sensor_msgs/Image` (rgb8)	~4	RGB frames, vImage-scaled to target width. Debug only.
`/camera/image_raw/compressed`	`sensor_msgs/CompressedImage` (JPEG)	~4	JPEG frames. GPU-encoded via CoreImage Metal.
`/camera/camera_info`	`sensor_msgs/CameraInfo`	~4	Intrinsic calibration for `/camera/image_raw`.
`/camera/depth/image_raw`	`sensor_msgs/Image` (32FC1)	~4	LiDAR depth map at 256×192, values in metres.
`/camera/depth/points`	`sensor_msgs/PointCloud2`	~4	Incremental RTAB-Map point cloud delta (new nodes only).

Rate is controlled by the Camera divisor setting (default: 1-in-4 of ~17 Hz ≈ 4 Hz).

Maps (Autonomous IDD mode only)¶

Topic	Type	Hz	Description
`/map`	`nav_msgs/OccupancyGrid`	~1	2D occupancy grid built from the LiDAR point cloud. Latched.
`/cost_map`	`nav_msgs/OccupancyGrid`	~1	Inflated `/map` for path planning. Latched.
`/clean_map`	`nav_msgs/OccupancyGrid`	on update	Coverage tracking grid for clean mode. Latched.
`/cloud_map`	`sensor_msgs/PointCloud2`	on loop closure	Full accumulated point cloud. Expensive — off by default.

Topic	Type	When	Description
`/cmd_vel`	`geometry_msgs/Twist`	continuous	Drive commands from DriveManager (explore, clean, joystick, calibration). Zero-published on pause/background.
`/plan`	`nav_msgs/Path`	on goal set	Current planned path to goal.
`/clean_plan`	`nav_msgs/Path`	on clean start	Planned coverage path for clean mode.
`/suction_fan/speed`	`std_msgs/Float32`	on change	Fan speed command (0.0–1.0).
`/robot_description`	`std_msgs/String`	latched	URDF robot description. Published once on connect.

Diagnostics¶

Topic	Type	Hz	Description
`/diag/cpu_percent`	`std_msgs/Float32`	0.5	Phone CPU usage (%).
`/diag/ram_mb`	`std_msgs/Float32`	0.5	Phone RAM usage (MB).
`/diag/speed_cmps`	`std_msgs/Float32`	0.5	Robot linear speed (cm/s).
`/diag/yaw_rate_dps`	`std_msgs/Float32`	0.5	Robot yaw rate (deg/s).
`/phone/height`	`std_msgs/Float32`	~5	Camera height above floor in metres (LiDAR-detected). Debug only.
`/debug`	`rcl_interfaces/Log`	on event	App log messages (autonomy events, drive, explore, clean).

Gamepad buttons (configurable)¶

Topic	Type	Default	Description
`<btn0>`	`std_msgs/Bool`	`/button/btn0`	Published `true` on press. Topic configurable in Control tab.
`<btn1>`	`std_msgs/Bool`	`/button/btn1`
`<btn2>`	`std_msgs/Bool`	`/button/btn2`
`<btn3>`	`std_msgs/Bool`	`/button/btn3`
`<stop>`	`std_msgs/Bool`	`/robot/stop`	Stop button. Topic configurable in Control tab.

Subscribed by the phone ← robot / ROS2 graph¶

Topic	Type	Description
`/move_base_simple/goal`	`geometry_msgs/PoseStamped`	Navigation goal. Phone drives robot to the target position and yaw.
`/command`	`std_msgs/String`	High-level commands. See Remote Commands.
`/battery/voltage`	`std_msgs/Float32`	Battery voltage from the robot. Displayed in the Control tab.

Data flow¶

ARKit (camera + LiDAR + IMU)
    │
    ├─► SensorManager ──────────────────► /imu/data, /fix
    │
    ├─► ARManager (RTAB-Map SLAM)
    │       │
    │       ├─► /odom, /tf, /tf_static
    │       ├─► /camera/image_raw, /camera/camera_info
    │       ├─► /camera/depth/image_raw
    │       ├─► /camera/depth/points  (incremental)
    │       ├─► /cloud_map            (full, on loop closure)
    │       └─► MapManager
    │               │
    │               ├─► /map          (2D occupancy grid)
    │               ├─► /cost_map     (inflated)
    │               └─► /clean_map    (coverage tracking)
    │
    ├─► DriveManager ──────────────────► /cmd_vel, /plan
    │       ▲
    │       ├─ ExploreManager ─────────► /cmd_vel (via DriveManager)
    │       └─ CleanManager ──────────► /cmd_vel, /suction_fan/speed, /clean_plan
    │
    └─► SystemMonitor ──────────────────► /diag/*

Notes¶

Latched topics (/map, /cost_map, /clean_map, /robot_description, /tf_static): the last message is re-delivered to new subscribers automatically.
Background / screen lock: all publishing stops. The Zenoh socket remains open in client mode; router mode disconnects.
Sensor Bridge mode: /map, /cost_map, and all in-app navigation outputs are disabled. Sensor topics remain active.

Tuning topic rates and image quality¶

Defaults work for most setups. Adjust in the Topics tab if:

Slow WiFi → lower image resolution or disable /camera/image_raw
Maximum SLAM accuracy → reduce imuSkip to keep IMU at full rate
Sensors only, no camera → disable image topics entirely

Setting	Default	Effect
IMU skip	4	100 Hz ÷ 4 = 25 Hz
Camera skip	4	~17 Hz ÷ 4 ≈ 4 Hz
Odom skip	2	~17 Hz ÷ 2 ≈ 8 Hz
Image width	320 px	Quality vs bandwidth
JPEG quality	75%	Higher = more data

Topics tab showing list of ROS2 topics with on/off toggles

Topics tab showing Rate Divisors and Image Quality sliders