Creating the robotic arm simulation model for Gazebo

We can create the simulation model for a robotic arm by updating the existing robot description by adding simulation parameters.

We can create the package needed to simulate the robotic arm using the following command:

$ catkin_create_pkg seven_dof_arm_gazebo gazebo_msgs gazebo_plugins gazebo_ros gazebo_ros_control mastering_ros_robot_description_pkg

Alternatively, the full package is available in the following Git repository; you can clone the repository for a reference to implement this package, or you can get the package from the book's source code:

$ git clone  https://github.com/jocacace/seven_dof_arm_gazebo.git

You can see the complete simulation model of the robot in the seven_dof_arm.xacro file, placed in the mastering_ros_robot_description_pkg/urdf/ folder.

The file is filled with URDF tags, which are necessary for the simulation. We will define the sections of collision, inertial, transmission, joints, links, and Gazebo.

To launch the...