open-rmf/rmf_demos

What it solves

This project provides a suite of demonstrations for the Open Robotics Middleware Framework (Open-RMF), solving the challenge of how to integrate and manage heterogeneous robot fleets in complex environments. It shows how robots from different manufacturers can share space, use building infrastructure like lifts and doors, and avoid traffic conflicts while performing coordinated tasks.

How it works

The repository uses simulation environments (primarily Gazebo) and ROS 2 to demonstrate RMF's core capabilities. It implements "fleet adapters" that translate RMF's high-level coordination into specific robot commands. The system manages traffic by de-conflicting lanes and resources, and handles task allocation through a bidding process where a dispatcher node awards tasks to the fleet that can complete them at the lowest cost or fastest time.

Who it’s for

It is designed for robotics engineers and developers who are integrating Open-RMF into real-world facilities or looking for a starting point to implement multi-robot interoperability.

Highlights

• Diverse Demo Worlds: Includes pre-configured simulations for hotels, offices, airport terminals, clinics, campuses, and manufacturing plants.
• Infrastructure Integration: Demonstrates robots interacting with elevators (lifts) and automatic doors.
• Traffic Management: Showcases conflict resolution in shared lanes and the ability to handle "read-only" vehicles (like manually driven carts) that robots must avoid.
• Task Orchestration: Features a bidding system for task allocation and supports various task types like delivery, patrolling (loop), and cleaning.
• Web Dashboard: Integration with rmf-web for monitoring robot states and initiating tasks via a browser.