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.

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Installation (Ubuntu 22.04)

1. Clone the repository:

   export WAYWISER_WS=~/waywiser_ws   # update to your desired path
   mkdir -p $WAYWISER_WS/src
   git clone git@github.com:das-rise/WayWiseR.git $WAYWISER_WS/src/WayWiseR
   ln -s $WAYWISER_WS/src/WayWiseR/Makefile $WAYWISER_WS/Makefile

2. Build the workspace:

   cd $WAYWISER_WS
   make all

   This will:

   • Prompt you to configure your .env (packages to build, RMW, middleware settings, etc.)
   • Install all system prerequisites
   • Create and populate the Python virtual environment with only the Python extras needed by the selected packages
   • Install ROS dependencies via rosdep
   • Build the workspace with colcon

   For a list of all available make targets:

   make help

   ⚠️ Important: MAVSDK is automatically installed from a prebuilt deb (Ubuntu 22.04, amd64). On other architectures the setup will pause and ask you to install it manually, then run make build. For Non-amd64 / manual install, prerequisites can be skipped with make setup ARGS=--skip-prereqs if you have already installed them.

3. Activate the workspace:

   source $WAYWISER_WS/.venv/bin/activate

   The venv activation script automatically sources ROS2, the workspace install, and your .env.

Quick Start

Launch a rover with teleoperation:

cd $WAYWISER_WS
source .venv/bin/activate
ros2 launch waywiser hwbringup_rover.launch.py

The rover dynamics are simulated by WayWise using a simple bicycle model.

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Developer Guide

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

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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

Autonomous UAV mission execution in Gazebo using PX4 SITL

UAV.flight.mission.demo.mp4

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Maintainers

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

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

Previous maintainers:

• Marvin Damschen
• Rickard Häll

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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.