Hi :)

For an own project I want to move a platform with a pneumatic system (like the Stewart platform and for this I need a simulation with Gazebo. I'm really a beginner in using Gazebo and ROS and so I started with some tests (and tutorials) to learn how to use both systems. To begin with a "simple urdf-file" I created a table (1 platform with 4 legs) where I want to change the size of the legs. My aim is that Gazebo simulates the position of the platform when I change the size of each leg. But now I have some problems where I don't know how to solve them - maybe you can help me :)

I'm using the standalone version of Gazebo with Groovy on Ubuntu 12.04 32-Bit.

1) Unfortunately the tutorials ends before the description of how to manipulate the robot with controllers (here) and in addition I can't find a controller which simulates a pneumatic actuator. So I decided to create two boxes and to change the position of the inner box with a c++-program - this works for the moment very nice :) The problem is that I have to switch of the gravity for the inner box to avoid that it falls down - do you have a better idea to solve this problem?

  <!-- Link 1 (outer box)-->
  <joint name="Pn1_joint1" type="fixed">
    <origin xyz="0 0 0"/>
    <parent link="world"/>
    <child link="Pn1_link1"/>
  </joint>

  <link name="Pn1_link1">
    <collision>
    <origin xyz="0 0 0.05" rpy="0 0 0"/>
      <geometry>
    <box size="${widthPneumatic} ${widthPneumatic} 0.1"/>
      </geometry>
    </collision>
    <visual>
      <origin xyz="0 0 ${heightPneumatic/2}" rpy="0 0 0"/>
      <geometry>
    <box size="${widthPneumatic} ${widthPneumatic} ${heightPneumatic}"/>
      </geometry>
      <material name="orange"/> 
    </visual>
    <inertial> 
      <origin xyz="0 0 ${heightPneumatic/2}" rpy="0 0 0"/> 
      <mass value="1"/>            
      <inertia
      ixx="1.0" ixy="0.0" ixz="0.0"
      iyy="1.0" iyz="0.0"
      izz="1.0"/>
    </inertial>
  </link>

  <gazebo reference="Pn1_link1">
    <material>Gazebo/Orange</material>
  </gazebo>          

  <!-- Link 2 (inner box) -->
  <joint name="Pn1_joint2" type="prismatic">
    <origin xyz="0 0 0"/>
    <parent link="Pn1_link1"/>
    <child link="Pn1_link2"/>
    <axis xyz="0 0 1"/>
    <dynamics damping="100"/>
    <limit lower="0" upper="${heightPneumatic}" effort="0.00001" velocity="0.00001"/>
  </joint>

  <link name="Pn1_link2">
    <collision>
      <origin xyz="0 0 ${heightPneumatic/2}" rpy="0 0 0"/>
      <geometry>
    <box size="${widthPneumatic-diffInOut} ${widthPneumatic-diffInOut} ${heightPneumatic+diffInOut}"/>
      </geometry>
    </collision>
    <visual>
      <origin xyz="0 0 ${heightPneumatic/2}" rpy="0 0 0"/>
      <geometry>
    <box size="${widthPneumatic-diffInOut} ${widthPneumatic-diffInOut} ${heightPneumatic+diffInOut}"/>
      </geometry>
      <material name="orange"/>
    </visual>
    <inertial>
      <origin xyz="0 0 ${heightPneumatic/2}" rpy="0 0 0"/>
      <mass value="1"/>
      <inertia
      ixx="1.0" ixy="0.0" ixz="0.0"
      iyy="1.0" iyz="0.0"
      izz="1.0"/>
    </inertial>
  </link>

  <gazebo reference="Pn1_link2">
    <material>Gazebo/Orange</material>
    <turnGravityOff>true</turnGravityOff>
    <mu1>100</mu1>
    <mu2>100</mu2>
    <selfCollide>true</selfCollide>
  </gazebo>

2) So I added a second one to the world and wanted to connect these two actuators with the platform. There the tree structure of the urdf-file causes the second problem: I can't connect the two actuators with the world and the platform (which I have to do for the simulation) -.- So my idea was (yes it's a little bit tricky) to lock the actuator with the platform like this:
Head of the actuator:

AAAAA
    A
    A

...and on the bottom of the platform two structures like this:

AAAAAA -> platform
A         A
AAAAAA

...so I can clip the head of the actuator into the building at the bottom of the platform (I'm sorry for these drafts but it isn't very helpful when you can't upload an image -.-). When I don't move the actuators the simulation still works - the platform is locked to the actuator. But when I start my c++-program (which changes the z-position of the inner-box) the platform moves randomly in any direction and the actuator breaks. When I connect one actuator with the platform over a joint and the second over my construction the actuator still work - but only the one which is directly connected over the joint (the other one keep at his place and does not move how expected - like when you lift an element with a crane). Do you have an idea to solve this problem?

Thank you in advance :)