Drone does not move in UnityDemo and AirSim on Linux/Ubuntu 20.04 but works with same setup in Windows

[CodeQuixote]

Contextual Background

My goal is to simulate a drone using AirSim built on Unity and control it using ROS-MAVROS-PX4 in Linux/Ubuntu 20.04. I have successfully managed to achieve the above using UnrealEngine, with and without PX4 and ROS with the Python and C++ APIs provided. I now need to achieve the above with AirSim built on Unity. After trying with the whole ROS-MAVROS-PX4_AirSim-Unity pipeline, the drone connected but was only able to move its rotors, not the body of the drone. So I decided to start with the simplest setup suggested in the documentation to discard sources of error.

Setup

• Followed the AirSim on Unity manual: https://microsoft.github.io/AirSim/Unity/ and cloned the AirSim GitHub repo.
• Built the UnityDemo project on Unity 2019.3.12

Test

In Windows:

• I run the HelloDrone AirSim.sln from VisualStudio and everything works.

In Linux Ubuntu 20.04:

• I run ./HelloDrone from AirSim output binaries.
• The drone connects as expected.
• I arm the drone and, as in Windows, I get:

requestApiControl was successful 30 Vehicle=SimpleFlight Vehicle is already armed 30 Vehicle=SimpleFlight

• I press Enter to takeoff and the rotors start to rotate faster (nb: the drone starts the simulation hovering in the air at a slow rotor speed), but the drone body does not move and I don't get the following log that I did observe in Windows:

API call was not received, entering hover mode for safety 30 Vehicle=SimpleFlight

• I press Enter to follow the HelloDrone script trajectory and again, in Linux the drone does not move as it does in Windows.
• I then press Enter to first land and then disarm the drone, and now both in Windows and in Linux I get the expected logs that follow:

Vehicle is disarmed 30 Vehicle=SimpleFlight State: Disarmed 30 Vehicle=SimpleFlight

Question

• What causes this difference in behaviour for the same, simple, standard project between Windows and Linux/Ubuntu 20.04?
• How would I fix it or work around it?

Let me know if I have missed anything obvious or if you have any ideas. Any suggestions will be very much welcome, thanks in advance.

[stale[bot]]

This issue has been automatically marked as stale because it has not had activity from the community in the last year. It will be closed if no further activity occurs within 20 days.

[y-elena4]

I have the same issue in Linux, did you ever find a solution @CodeQuixote ?

[sandilyasg]

@y-elena4 @CodeQuixote were you able to find a solution?