WayWiseR

WayWiseR is a ROS2-based rapid prototyping platform designed for Connected and Automated Vehicle (CAV) validation research. Extending the low-level functionalities provided by the WayWise library with standardized ROS2 interfaces, WayWiseR enables systematic scenario-based validation across both simulated and physical environments.

WayWiseR is divided into modular ROS2 packages:

Package	Description
waywiser	FastDDS discovery configuration and global utils.
waywiser_core	ROS2 wrappers for the core WayWise functionalities.
waywiser_description	Vehicle and sensor descriptions (URDF/Xacro).
waywiser_hwbringup	Configuration and launch files for physical hardware.
waywiser_perception	Image processing and computer vision.
waywiser_nav2	Dynamic path planning via Nav2.
waywiser_rviz2	RViz2 configuration and launch files.
waywiser_slam	SLAM Toolbox configuration and launch files.
waywiser_teleop	Multi-source teleoperation and arbitration.
waywiser_test_runner	Test orchestration for both simulators and hardware.
waywiser_twist_safety	Onboard safety features such as command arbitration, E-Stop, etc.
waywiser_gazebo / _carla / _agrarsense	Simulation-specific integration and environments.

---

Installation & Build (Ubuntu 22.04)

1. Prerequisites:

   • Install uv for Python package management:

     curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

   • Install ROS2 Humble following the official guide.

   • Install the latest MAVSDK 2.x version (3.x is not yet supported) by downloading the latest deb package from prebuilt releases and running:

     sudo dpkg -i libmavsdk-dev*.deb

     Alternatively, MAVSDK can be built from source by using the scripts here.

   • Install system dependencies:

     sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y \
         libunwind-dev \
         libqt5serialport5-dev \
         git \
         build-essential \
         cmake \
         python3-colcon-common-extensions \
         python3-pyqt5

2. Initialize the workspace:

   export WAYWISER_WS=~/waywiser_ws # Update with your desired path
   mkdir -p $WAYWISER_WS/src
   git clone git@github.com:das-rise/WayWiseR.git $WAYWISER_WS/src/WayWiseR
   cd $WAYWISER_WS/src/WayWiseR
   git submodule update --init waywiser_core/WayWise

3. Setup Python virtual environment:

   cd $WAYWISER_WS
   uv venv --python 3.10 --clear
   source .venv/bin/activate
   export PYTHONPATH=$WAYWISER_WS/.venv/lib/python3.10/site-packages:$PYTHONPATH
   uv pip install -e src/WayWiseR

4. Build the workspace:

   cd $WAYWISER_WS
   source /opt/ros/humble/setup.bash
   # Skip simulator packages for now:
   export WAYWISER_SKIPPED_PACKAGES="waywiser_agrarsense waywiser_carla waywiser_gazebo"
   rosdep install --from-paths $(colcon list --paths-only | grep -Evw "$(echo "$WAYWISER_SKIPPED_PACKAGES" | tr ' ' '|')") --ignore-src --rosdistro $ROS_DISTRO -r -y
   colcon build --symlink-install --packages-skip $WAYWISER_SKIPPED_PACKAGES

   💡 Tip: To persist environment variables, append the setup block to your .venv/bin/activate by running the following command in your terminal:

   cat <<EOT >> $WAYWISER_WS/.venv/bin/activate
   # WayWiseR Environment Setup
   source /opt/ros/humble/setup.bash
   export WAYWISER_WS=$WAYWISER_WS
   export WAYWISER_SKIPPED_PACKAGES="$WAYWISER_SKIPPED_PACKAGES"
   export PYTHONPATH=$WAYWISER_WS/.venv/lib/python3.10/site-packages:\$PYTHONPATH
   
   if [ -f "$WAYWISER_WS/install/setup.bash" ]; then
     source "$WAYWISER_WS/install/setup.bash"
   fi
   EOT

   To build simulator-related packages such as waywiser_agrarsense, waywiser_carla, and waywiser_gazebo, follow the instructions in the respective packages.

5. Environment Configuration (.env):

   WayWiseR uses a .env file to manage settings such as ROS2 Domain ID and FastDDS Discovery Server configurations.

   cp src/WayWiseR/.env.example src/WayWiseR/.env

   Update the configurations in the .env file as needed. The .env file is automatically sourced whenever the virtual environment is activated via source $WAYWISER_WS/.venv/bin/activate.

---

Developer Guide

For detailed developer setup configuration, refer to the Developer Guide.

---

Demos

Autonomous reverse docking of a semi-truck (1:14 scaled) prototype

Semi-truck.docking.demo.mp4

Safety-critical human detection and emergency braking in forestry simulations

Forestry.simulation.demo.mp4

---

Maintainers

Current maintainers are: (firstname.middlename.lastname@ri.se):

• Ramana Reddy Avula
• Aria Mirzai
• Karl Lundgren
• Ashfaq Farooqui

Previous maintainers:

• Marvin Damschen
• Rickard Häll

---

Citation

If you use WayWiseR in your research, please cite:

@INPROCEEDINGS{11369551,
  author={Avula, Ramana Reddy and Damschen, Marvin and Mirzai, Aria and Lundgren, Karl and Farooqui, Ashfaq and Thors\'{e}n, Anders},
  booktitle={2025 13th International Conference on Control, Mechatronics and Automation (ICCMA)},
  title={WayWiseR: A Rapid Prototyping Platform for Validating Connected and Automated Vehicles},
  year={2025},
  pages={306-311},
  doi={10.1109/ICCMA67641.2025.11369551}
}

Funding

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreements 101095835 and 101069573. The results reflect only the authors' view, and the Agency is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.