Rocker-Bogie Rover Digital Twin | Emiliano's Portfolio

ROS2 URDF/Xacro SolidWorks Gazebo Isaac Sim RViz2 Swerve-Drive Control Sim2Real

This project delivers a complete digital twin of a rocker-bogie rover, starting from a SolidWorks CAD model and extending through URDF/Xacro representation, ROS2 integration, and multi-simulator deployment. The full kinematic structure of the rocker-bogie suspension is captured in URDF Xacro files for seamless use with ROS2 tools and simulation environments.

A custom swerve-drive controller enables precise omnidirectional motion including pivot-in-place maneuvers, while a ROS2-to-Isaac Sim pipeline supports teleoperation, rapid control algorithm iteration, and Sim2Real-style autonomy testing. The rover has been validated in both Gazebo and NVIDIA Isaac Sim environments.

Simulation Gallery

[ Gazebo / Isaac Sim screenshots placeholder ]

Technical Implementation

ROS2 Architecture

URDF/Xacro Modeling: Designed the rocker-bogie rover in SolidWorks and represented the full kinematic structure in URDF Xacro for ROS2 and simulation tool integration
ROS2 Node Graph: Implemented joint state publishers (position & velocity), robot_state_publisher, and URDF-based description topics for real-time state synchronization
Swerve-Drive Controller: Developed a custom ROS2 controller to coordinate steering and drive joints, enabling omnidirectional motion and pivot-in-place maneuvers
Visualization & Validation: Configured RViz2 and Gazebo to visualize the digital twin, validate rocker-bogie suspension kinematics, and test motion behaviors

Isaac Sim Pipeline

NVIDIA Isaac Sim Integration

ROS2-Isaac Sim Bridge: Built a pipeline to run the rover digital twin in NVIDIA Isaac Sim for high-fidelity physics simulation
Teleoperation: Enabled real-time teleoperation of the rover through the Isaac Sim environment
Rapid Iteration: Supported fast iteration of control algorithms with immediate visual and physics feedback
Sim2Real Testing: Established a Sim2Real-style workflow for testing autonomy stacks before physical deployment

Results

Project Outcomes

Multi-Simulator Deployment: Successfully deployed the rover digital twin across RViz2, Gazebo, and NVIDIA Isaac Sim
Kinematic Validation: Confirmed accurate rocker-bogie suspension behavior in physics-based simulation environments
Omnidirectional Control: Achieved precise swerve-drive locomotion including forward, lateral, and pivot-in-place maneuvers
Sim2Real Pipeline: Established a repeatable workflow for transitioning control algorithms from simulation to hardware