Building the UNICORN Racing Stack on the RaceCar

This guide covers the full process of building the UNICORN Racing Stack on the actual vehicle (RaceCar), configuring the LiDAR and VESC, and setting up remote control with CycloneDDS. The full source is available in the UNICORN Racing Stack repository.

For the laptop build (simulation / remote control), see Building the UNICORN Racing Stack for Simulation and Remote Race Control. This post covers the actual vehicle (full build).

0. Conda Setup

If you already have a conda environment, you can skip this step. Otherwise, we recommend installing miniforge.

curl -L -O "https://github.com/conda-forge/miniforge/releases/latest/download/Miniforge3-$(uname)-$(uname -m).sh"
bash "Miniforge3-$(uname)-$(uname -m).sh" && exec $SHELL
conda config --set auto_activate_base false

1. Clone

mkdir -p ~/unicorn_ws/src && cd ~/unicorn_ws/src
git clone --recursive https://github.com/hmcl-unist/unicorn-racing-stack.git
cd unicorn-racing-stack

The submodules must be fetched as well, so always use the --recursive option.

2. Build on the Car (for Racing)

./setup_conda_onCar.sh   # the car: full build (everything)

The car build compiles everything — including cartographer, hardware nodes, mapping, and localization — so it takes longer than the laptop build (onLaptop).

3. Set Up the Hokuyo LiDAR

For the LiDAR static IP configuration and sensor data check, see Hokuyo LiDAR Setup: Static IP Configuration and Sensor Data Check.

4. Set Up the VESC

For the VESC port setup and motor/servo connection check, see VESC Port Setup and Connection Check.

5. Set Up CycloneDDS for Remote Control

5-1. Connect to the Same Network

First, connect the car’s onboard PC and the laptop to the same network.

5-2. Match the cyclonedds.xml Interface

Use the ifconfig command to find your network interface name, then set the interface in cyclonedds.xml accordingly.

If ifconfig is not installed:

sudo apt install net-tools

• Choose the correct interface name depending on whether you use a wireless or wired connection.
• You must configure this on both the car and the laptop.
• Config file path: /home/unicorn/unicorn_ws/src/unicorn-racing-stack/cyclonedds.xml

6. Verify the Remote Connection

Launch low-level on the car (onCar).

ros2 launch stack_master low_level.launch.xml

Check that the topic is received on the laptop (onLaptop).

ros2 topic echo /scan

If the /scan data shows up on the laptop, the remote connection is working.

Conclusion

In this post, we covered building the UNICORN Racing Stack on the actual vehicle, along with sensor setup and remote control.

• Full car build with setup_conda_onCar.sh
• See the dedicated guides for Hokuyo LiDAR setup and VESC setup
• Remote car–laptop connection via CycloneDDS

To validate in simulation before deploying to the real car, see Building the UNICORN Racing Stack for Simulation and Remote Race Control.