Welcome!
We’re happy to have you on board as our new Autonomy Software Engineering co-op! To aid your first few days here at WARG, we have created a startup guide that you can refer to to see what your project will be, key contacts, and some steps you’ll have to take.
About WARG
The University of Waterloo Aerial Robotics Group (abbreviated as ‘WARG’) is a student design team affiliated with the Sedra Student Design Centre at the University of Waterloo.
The principal objectives of WARG are:
To enable students to learn about robotics and develop innovative new aerial robotic solutions through collaboration and non-classroom instruction.
To expose students to all aspects of project management, fundraising, marketing and exposure to various mechanical, electrical and control challenges.
To provide an opportunity for students (of all backgrounds) and experts to work together in an effort to accomplish these goals.
This year, we are seeking to meet these objectives through attendance at the AEAC student competition. WARG is currently developing a quadcopter aircraft (project Pegasus) to compete in this year’s competition at the end of May.
The Autonomy subteam is responsible for developing and implementing custom software solutions for autonomous drone operations. This Spring 2024 term, we are focusing on developing our infrastructure and architecting new projects (such as your Obstacle Avoidance project).
Administrative Details
Key Contacts
Manager: Andrew Shum
Go-to for all administrative concerns regarding your internship here
Your manager will be the person you interact with daily and guide you through your internship
Team Directors:Daniel Puratich Nathan Green Georgia Vachon Westerlund
The team directors run the WARG organization as a whole. They are in charge of the overall operation of the team and can be reached at any time over Discord should the need arise.
WaterlooWorks Support: Mia Weston
For any WaterlooWorks and co-op credit-related questions.
SDC Support: Graeme & Prof Teertstra
Graeme Adair: gadair@uwaterloo.ca
Peter Teertstra: pmteerts@uwaterloo.ca
Directors of all SDC teams in Waterloo
If you aren’t comfortable talking to anyone at WARG about something with your co-op these contacts are available to you.
First-day items
Safety Training
Please complete the following courses before starting any projects:
- SO1001 Employee Safety Orientation
- SO1081 Workplace Violence Awareness
- WHMIS 2015
- SO1010 Laboratory Safety
You can access these courses by going to learn, selecting “Self Registration,” and enrolling in these courses.
Joining Discord
The team uses Discord to communicate!
- https://www.uwarg.com/join and introduce yourself in
#introductionsa few days ahead of your start date
Joining Management Softwares
We use Asana to manage tasks and timelines and Confluence to handle documentation. You should use your uwaterloo.ca email. If you do not have access to these services, ask your manager to provide you with an invite.
- Sign into Asana (https://app.asana.com/)
- Sign into Confluence (https://uwarg-docs.atlassian.net)
Team Cadence
Your subteam, Autonomy, meets on a weekly basis (Mondays 8-9pm). You’ll also be expected to attend general meetings, and other relevant meetings as needed. Our meeting schedule can be found in our google calendar in #info .
AEAC sync and leads meeting are optional meetings where we discuss system integration and admin for the team respectively. You are welcome to join these, but are not required to.
Your Project
Andrew Shum has scoped out a custom Obstacle Avoidance Project to replace ArduPilot’s. This project’s goals are:
Research path deflection algorithms for obstacle avoidance using 2D LiDAR.
Deflect around an obstacle on an autonomous mission.
Stop the drone from hitting an obstacle in manual mode.
Aid the pilot in deflecting around an obstacle in manual mode.
More details: Obstacle Avoidance (planned for F24 Co-op) First Week Items
- Complete Coop Information Form
- Arrange 1:1 meeting times with your mentor
- Mondays, Wednesdays - 10am
- Tuesdays, Thursdays - 1:30pm
- Fridays - 1030am
- Safety Training
- Review the team charter
- Read the articles in the Autonomy Knowledge Base
- Complete the Autonomy Bootcamp: https://uwarg-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/x/AYATiQ
- Watch Python multiprocessing tutorial:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKl2JW_qrso
Multiprocessing is used to run multiple processes simultaneously in parallel.
- Watch Mission Planner demo YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFxwRgntGlQ
mission planner is used to run simulations and also in actual flights.
- Read about current obstacle avoidance architecture Obstacle Avoidance
Appendix
Useful links
What do all the acronyms mean? Check it out here: https://uwarg-docs.atlassian.net/l/cp/D2oP5Vjw
The Autonomy homepage, with lots of helpful info: https://uwarg-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/x/fYBuR