Release Notes

The following release notes detail the updates to ROS Melodic packages maintained by Fetch Robotics and available at http://packages.ros.org. For more details on the changes that have occured in an individual package, please see the CHANGELOG within the installed package.

For information on updating your robot to the latest packages, see Updating Your Robot.

Note: For ROS Indigo, packages are hosted at http://packages.fetchrobotics.com.

September 10, 2019

This release adds a few fixes for Fetch and Freight with ROS Melodic.

  • ROS Melodic robots now start a soundplay node on startup. This feature was initially omitted from Melodic/18.04 support.

  • The frame_id field in the /imu topic now publishes correctly.

  • The robot drivers were updated to align with the power_msgs packages. The /battery_state topic now works correctly.

Key Updated Fetch Packages:

  • fetch-melodic-config: 0.2-0ubuntu1 -> 0.2-0ubuntu2

  • freight-melodic-config: 0.2-0ubuntu1 -> 0.2-0ubuntu2

  • ros-melodic-power-msgs: 0.3.0-0 -> 0.4.0-1

  • ros-melodic-fetch-bringup: 0.8.7-1 -> 0.8.8-1

  • ros-melodic-fetch-drivers: 0.8.7-1 -> 0.8.8-1

  • ros-melodic-freight-bringup: 0.8.7-1 -> 0.8.8-1

A full list of updated/new Fetch packages can be found at discourse.ros.org.

August 9, 2019

This release adds support for Fetch and Freight using ROS Melodic on Ubuntu 18.04. ROS Indigo and Ubuntu 14.04 are EOL. Robots using Indigo should continue to work, but will not receive further updates. To upgrade your robot, see these instructions.

  • The default ROS Melodic Fetch and Freight configurations can be easily set up using the new automated installer (this is a clean install, not an in-place upgrade). To upgrade your robot, see these instructions.

  • fetch_teleop/bringup now includes PS4 controller support. See how to switch.

New Fetch Packages:

  • fetch-melodic-config: 0.2-0ubuntu1 (replaces fetch-system-config)

  • freight-melodic-config: 0.2-0ubuntu1 (replaces freight-system-config)

Updated Fetch Packages:

  • ros-melodic-fetch-bringup: 0.8.6-0 -> 0.8.7-1

  • ros-melodic-fetch-calibration: 0.8.1-0 -> 0.8.2-1

  • ros-melodic-fetch-drivers: 0.8.6-0 -> 0.8.7-1

  • ros-melodic-fetch-depth-layer: 0.8.1-0 -> 0.8.2-1

  • ros-melodic-fetch-description: 0.8.1-0 -> 0.8.2-1

  • ros-melodic-fetch-gazebo: 0.9.1-1 -> 0.9.2-1

  • ros-melodic-fetch-ikfast-plugin: 0.8.1-0 -> 0.8.2-1

  • ros-melodic-fetch-maps: 0.8.1-0 -> 0.8.2-1

  • ros-melodic-fetch-moveit-config: 0.8.1-0 -> 0.8.2-1

  • ros-melodic-fetch-navigation: 0.8.1-0 -> 0.8.2-1

  • ros-melodic-fetch-teleop: 0.8.1-0 -> 0.8.2-1

  • ros-melodic-freight-bringup: 0.8.6-0 -> 0.8.7-1

A full list of updated/new Fetch packages can be found at discourse.ros.org.

April 4, 2019

A limited release for ROS Melodic, in support of the FetchIt! challenge at ICRA 2019.

Updated Fetch Packages (indigo -> melodic):

  • ros-melodic-fetch-bringup: 0.7.5-0 -> 0.8.6-0

  • ros-melodic-fetch-calibration: 0.7.13-0 -> 0.8.1-0

  • ros-melodic-fetch-drivers: 0.7.28-0 -> 0.8.6-0

  • ros-melodic-fetch-depth-layer: 0.7.13-0 -> 0.8.1-0

  • ros-melodic-fetch-description: 0.7.13-0 -> 0.8.1-0

  • ros-melodic-fetch-gazebo: 0.7.1-0 -> 0.9.1-1

  • ros-melodic-fetch-ikfast-plugin: 0.7.13-0 -> 0.8.1-0

  • ros-melodic-fetch-maps: 0.7.13-0 -> 0.8.1-0

  • ros-melodic-fetch-moveit-config: 0.7.13-0 -> 0.8.1-0

  • ros-melodic-fetch-navigation: 0.7.13-0 -> 0.8.1-0

  • ros-melodic-fetch-teleop: 0.7.13-0 -> 0.8.1-0

  • ros-melodic-freight-bringup: 0.7.5-0 -> 0.8.6-0

  • ros-melodic-robot-controllers: 0.5.3-0 -> 0.6.0-0

December 18, 2017

This sync includes new upstream ROS packages. Updated drivers improve battery balancing, which should improve battery life. There are also a number of new features in this release:

  • fetch_moveit_config now includes an IKFast solver.

  • fetch_moveit_config now includes apply_planning_scene plugin by default.

  • fetch_teleop/bringup now includes teleop for the arm and cartesian controllers.

  • fetch_bringup now includes a diagnostics aggregator.

  • fetch/freight-system-config now preserves certain ethernet network configurations.

Updated Fetch Packages:

  • fetch-system-config: 0.8-8 -> 0.9-1

  • freight-system-config: 0.8-8 -> 0.9-1

  • ros-indigo-fetch-bringup: 0.7.3-0 -> 0.7.5-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-calibration: 0.7.9-0 -> 0.7.13-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-drivers: 0.7.15-0 -> 0.7.28-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-depth-layer: 0.7.9-0 -> 0.7.13-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-description: 0.7.9-0 -> 0.7.13-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-maps: 0.7.9-0 -> 0.7.13-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-moveit-config: 0.7.9-0 -> 0.7.13-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-navigation: 0.7.9-0 -> 0.7.13-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-teleop: 0.7.9-0 -> 0.7.13-0

  • ros-indigo-freight-bringup: 0.7.3-0 -> 0.7.5-0

  • ros-indigo-robot-controllers: 0.5.2-0 -> 0.5.3-0

New Fetch Packages:

  • ros-indigo-fetch-ikfast-plugin: 0.7.13-0

A full list of new upstream packages can be found on discourse.ros.org

November 29, 2016

This sync includes new upstream ROS packages. In addition it includes an updated version of sixad that fixes an issue with logs filling the disk. It is highly recommended that this is installed through the following commands:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install sixad

Updated drivers improve battery balancing, which should improve battery life. There are also a number of new features in this release:

Updated Fetch Packages:

  • fetch-system-config: 0.8-4 -> 0.8-8

  • ros-indigo-fetch-bringup: 0.7.1-0 -> 0.7.3-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-drivers: 0.7.11-0 -> 0.7.15-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-depth-layer: 0.7.5-0 -> 0.7.9-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-description: 0.7.5-0 -> 0.7.9-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-maps: 0.7.5-0 -> 0.7.9-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-moveit-config: 0.7.5-0 -> 0.7.9-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-navigation: 0.7.5-0 -> 0.7.9-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-teleop: 0.7.5-0 -> 0.7.9-0

  • ros-indigo-freight-bringup: 0.7.1-0 -> 0.7.3-0

  • ros-indigo-robot-controllers: 0.5.0-0 -> 0.5.2-0

A full list of new upstream packages can be found on discourse.ros.org

May 28, 2016

This sync includes new upstream ROS packages. Notably this release includes updates for a udev rule that maps the PS3 controller to /dev/ps3joy, therefore it is important that you also install the latest fetch-system-config or freight-system-config package depending on your robot model. The Updating Your Robot instructions have been updated to note that the correct update command is now:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install --only-upgrade ros-indigo-* f.*-system-config
sudo service robot stop
sudo service robot start

New drivers improve charge time and performance. A number of improvements have been made to the fetch_depth_layer including properly supporting deactivate/activate when plans are not in progress.

Updated Fetch Packages:

  • fetch-system-config: 0.8-0 -> 0.8-4

  • ros-indigo-fetch-bringup: 0.6.0-0 -> 0.7.1-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-drivers: 0.7.4-0 -> 0.7.11-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-depth-layer: 0.7.0-0 -> 0.7.5-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-description: 0.7.0-0 -> 0.7.5-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-gazebo: 0.7.0-0 -> 0.7.1-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-gazebo-demo: 0.7.0-0 -> 0.7.1-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-maps: 0.7.0-0 -> 0.7.5-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-moveit-config: 0.7.0-0 -> 0.7.5-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-navigation: 0.7.0-0 -> 0.7.5-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-teleop: 0.7.0-0 -> 0.7.5-0

  • ros-indigo-freight-bringup: 0.6.0-0 -> 0.7.1-0

  • ros-indigo-robot-controllers: 0.4.3-0 -> 0.5.0-0

A full list of new upstream packages can be found on the ROS mailing list

January 21, 2016

This sync includes new upstream ROS packages. New drivers include improvements to charge state estimation and a tool for in-field calibration of the torso. Auto docking includes several fixes for TF-related errors, as well as a fix for reliability when the odom frame and dock are aligned.

Updated Fetch Packages:

  • ros-indigo-fetch-drivers: 0.7.3-0 -> 0.7.4-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-auto-dock: 0.1.0-0 -> 0.2.1-0

A full list of new upstream packages can be found on the ROS mailing list

November 23, 2015

This sync includes new upstream ROS packages as well as minor bug fixes and improvements to drivers. Notably, the deadman must now be held while tucking the arm, this allows a user to stop the arm tucking should the robot collide with an obstacle in the environment.

Of note, this release also fixes several inconsistencies in the wrist_flex range of the robot. If your robot appears to have an overly limited wrist_flex range, we recommend recalibrating the robot from a clean URDF after updating your packages.

Maps have been removed from the fetch_navigation package and moved to their own package, fetch_maps.

Updated Fetch Packages:

  • ros-indigo-fetch-drivers: 0.7.1-0 -> 0.7.3-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-depth-layer: 0.6.2-0 -> 0.7.0-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-description: 0.6.2-0 -> 0.7.0-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-gazebo: 0.6.2-0 -> 0.7.0-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-gazebo-demo: 0.6.2-0 -> 0.7.0-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-moveit-config: 0.6.2-0 -> 0.7.0-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-navigation: 0.6.2-0 -> 0.7.0-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-teleop: 0.6.2-0 -> 0.7.0-0

New Fetch Packages:

  • ros-indigo-fetch-maps: 0.7.0-0

A full list of new upstream packages can be found on the ROS mailing list

November 12, 2015

This sync includes new upstream ROS packages as well as the first release of auto docking.

Please note that the MD5 checksum for the dock action will have changed with this release.

Updated Fetch Packages:

  • ros-indigo-fetch-drivers: 0.6.3-0 -> 0.7.1-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-auto-dock-msgs: 0.5.2-0 -> 0.6.0-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-driver-msgs: 0.5.2-0 -> 0.6.0-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-gazebo: 0.6.1-0 -> 0.6.2-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-gazebo-demo: 0.6.1-0 -> 0.6.2-0

New Fetch Packages:

  • ros-indigo-fetch-auto-dock: 0.1.0

A full list of new upstream packages can be found on the ROS mailing list

August 5, 2015

This sync includes new upstream ROS packages as well as minor fixes to the URDF and calibration.

Updated Fetch Packages:

  • ros-indigo-fetch-drivers: 0.6.1-0 -> 0.6.3-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-depth-layer: 0.6.1-0 -> 0.6.2-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-description: 0.6.1-0 -> 0.6.2-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-moveit-config: 0.6.1-0 -> 0.6.2-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-navigation: 0.6.1-0 -> 0.6.2-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-teleop: 0.6.1-0 -> 0.6.2-0

A full list of new upstream packages can be found on the ROS mailing list

July 9, 2015

This sync includes new upstream ROS packages as well as tuck arm functionality from the robot joystick. This release also includes charge level estimates for Fetch and Freight robots.

Updated Fetch Packages:

  • ros-indigo-fetch-drivers: 0.5.3-0 -> 0.6.1-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-depth-layer: 0.5.13-0 -> 0.6.1-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-description: 0.5.13-0 -> 0.6.1-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-driver-msgs: 0.5.1-0 -> 0.5.2-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-gazebo: 0.5.0-0 -> 0.6.1-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-gazebo-demo: 0.5.0-0 -> 0.6.1-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-moveit-config: 0.5.13-0 -> 0.6.1-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-navigation: 0.5.13-0 -> 0.6.1-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-teleop: 0.5.13-0 -> 0.6.1-0

  • ros-indigo-robot-calibration: 0.4.0-0 -> 0.5.2-0

  • ros-indigo-robot-calibration-msgs: 0.4.0-0 -> 0.5.2-0

New Fetch Packages:

  • ros-indigo-fetch-auto-dock-msgs: 0.5.2-0

A full list of new upstream packages can be found on the ROS mailing list

June 8, 2015

First publicly available release.

New Fetch Packages:

  • ros-indigo-fetch-drivers: 0.5.3-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-depth-layer: 0.5.13-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-description: 0.5.13-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-driver-msgs: 0.5.1-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-gazebo: 0.5.0-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-gazebo-demo: 0.5.0-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-moveit-config: 0.5.13-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-navigation: 0.5.13-0

  • ros-indigo-fetch-teleop: 0.5.13-0

A full list of new upstream packages can be found on the ROS mailing list