Dynamic Obstacle Tracking & Smoother Velocity Ramping

[Nitya-003]

Description

While the current system handles static obstacles (walls/furniture) via the global and local costmaps, the robot may react "jitterily" when encountering moving obstacles (like a person walking across its path) or when starting/stopping abruptly.

This feature proposes the integration of a Temporal Costmap Layer and a Velocity Smoother to ensure the robot maneuvers safely and elegantly in dynamic environments.

Proposed Changes

1. Implementation of nav2_velocity_smoother

• Add the nav2_velocity_smoother node to the navigation launch pipeline.
• Goal: To prevent jerky movements by constraining the robot's acceleration and jerk limits, especially when a goal is canceled or a sudden obstacle appears.
• Configure smooth_cmd_vel to be the final output to the Gazebo differential drive plugin.

2. Dynamic Obstacle Layer (Inflation Tuning)

• Fine-tune the Inflation Layer parameters in nav2_params.yaml.
• Implement a "Social Compliance" zone where the inflation_radius is dynamically adjusted based on the robot's speed allowing for tighter gaps at low speeds but wider safety margins when moving fast.

3. Real-time Status Telemetry

• Develop a small Python-based diagnostic node that subscribes to /nav2_stats and /cmd_vel.
• Output: Print real-time "Estimated Time to Arrival" (ETA) and "Distance Remaining" to the terminal or an RViz overlay.