In the previous chapters, we learned how to develop, move, and arm a robot in Gazebo, and mount a few sensors and actuators, as well as move and control them in the virtual world using a joystick or the keyboard. In this chapter, we will discuss one of the most powerful features in the ROS navigation stack, which will be equipped with a mobile robot to move autonomously.

First of all, we will learn how to configure the navigation stack with any mobile robot. Subsequently, we will also discuss how to configure and launch the navigation stack on the simulated robot and set configuration parameters to achieve the best results.

Finally, we will look at executing Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) with ROS, which will build the map of the environment while a mobile robot moves through it. In addition, we will also discuss the Adaptive Monte Carlo Localization (AMCL) algorithm of the navigation stack.