Complete ROS Start Guide - Windows/Mac/Linux

Robot Operating System (ROS) is an essential tool for any roboticist to know. Whether you are building a robot for a side project or building out your skills to upgrade your career, this course will get you competent with ROS fast.

For the last 2-3 years I've used ROS every single day so I'm very familiar for what ROS knowledge is important and what can be skipped. ROS is very large, and as a beginner there are so many things ROS offers it can be tough to know what to focus on. Trying to learn everything right away can make the learning feel daunting. In this course I cover all the essential fundamentals to get you started with ROS.

In this course I'll live code everything from scratch. This way you can see every detail and you won't miss out on what is typically skipped in these types of tutorials. I also provide a pre-configured Virtual Machine that will allow you to run ROS on your computer whether you are using Mac, Windows, or Linux.

Few of the topics covered in this course are:

Creating your First Node
ROS Publisher
ROS Subscriber
Basic ROS Commands
Creating custom ROS Messages
ROS compatible Unit Tests
How to use ROS Bags
ROS Launch files
Proper ROS Logging
ROS Services / Clients
Importing Functionality from other ROS Packages

What are you waiting for? Jump in now and learning. If you are trying to upgrade your Robotics skills, this course is essential to your journey.

What's inside

Learning objective

Ros - robotic operating system

Syllabus

Introduction

Intro

Install Guide

Beginner Package

Traffic lights

Read about what's good

what should give you pause

and possible dealbreakers

Covers essential ROS fundamentals, providing a strong foundation for beginners in robotics and offering practical skills applicable to real-world projects

Includes a pre-configured Virtual Machine, which removes barriers to entry and allows learners to run ROS on various operating systems like Mac, Windows, or Linux

Features live coding from scratch, which allows learners to observe every detail of the development process and gain a deeper understanding of ROS concepts

Explores both C++ and Python implementations, which allows learners to choose the language they are most comfortable with or expand their skills in both languages

Includes unit testing with both gtest and nosetest, which are valuable skills for ensuring code quality and reliability in ROS projects

Teaches how to import functionality from other ROS packages, which is essential for building complex robotic systems and leveraging existing ROS capabilities

Reviews summary

Solid introduction to ros fundamentals

According to students, this course is a solid introduction for anyone starting with ROS. Learners particularly praise the convenient pre-configured Virtual Machine, which significantly eases installation across different operating systems. The instructor's clear explanations and practical coding examples are frequently mentioned as helping to grasp the core ROS fundamentals like nodes, publishers, and subscribers quickly. While it effectively serves as a great starting point, some reviews note that it doesn't delve into more advanced topics, suggesting the need for further learning beyond this course.

Helpful hands-on coding demonstrations.

"The live coding demos were extremely useful for understanding how to implement the concepts."

"Lots of hands-on examples that helped solidify the theory for me."

"I really appreciated coding along with the instructor; it made a big difference."

Instructor explains concepts clearly.

"The instructor explains concepts very clearly and breaks them down into manageable pieces."

"Lectures are easy to follow, even for topics I initially found confusing."

"His teaching style made learning ROS much less intimidating than I expected."

Pre-configured VM makes installation easy.

"The pre-configured VM provided was incredibly helpful to bypass setup issues on my Windows machine."

"Getting ROS running can be a nightmare, but the VM made it totally painless."

"Loved that I could run it on my Mac without worrying about dependencies."

"The VM setup instructions were clear and saved me a lot of time and frustration."

Provides a strong foundation for ROS newbies.

"This course is an excellent starting point for anyone new to ROS. It covers all the basic fundamentals you need to get started with robotics."

"As someone completely new to ROS, I found the pace and explanations perfect."

"If you're just getting your feet wet with ROS, this course is exactly what you need."

"I felt completely lost before this course, but now I have a good grasp of the basics and feel confident to explore more."

Primarily covers beginner fundamentals.

"It's a great start, but you'll need more advanced resources afterwards to really master ROS."

"The course provides a solid foundation but doesn't go deep into advanced topics or complex applications."

"Don't expect to become a ROS expert, but you'll get all the necessary basics to continue learning."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Complete ROS Start Guide - Windows/Mac/Linux - C++/Python with these activities:

Review Basic Linux Commands

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Reinforce your understanding of fundamental Linux commands, which are essential for navigating the ROS environment and managing ROS packages.

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Identify the most common Linux commands used in ROS development.
Practice using these commands in a virtual machine or Linux environment.
Review the syntax and options for each command.

Review Programming Robots with ROS

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Deepen your understanding of ROS concepts and best practices by studying a comprehensive guide.

View Programming Robots with ROS: A Practical... on Amazon

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Read the introductory chapters to grasp the fundamentals of ROS.
Work through the examples provided in the book to reinforce your learning.
Refer to the book as a reference when working on ROS projects.

Practice ROS Command Line Tools

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Improve your proficiency with ROS by practicing common ROS command-line tools.

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Use `rosnode` to list and inspect ROS nodes.
Use `rostopic` to publish and subscribe to ROS topics.
Use `rosservice` to call ROS services.
Use `roslaunch` to launch ROS launch files.

Four other activities

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Create a ROS Tutorial

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Reinforce your understanding of ROS by creating a tutorial that explains a specific ROS concept or technique.

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Choose a ROS topic that you understand well and want to share.
Write a clear and concise explanation of the topic.
Include code examples and screenshots to illustrate the concepts.
Publish your tutorial on a blog or online forum.

Build a Simple Robot Simulator

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Solidify your ROS skills by creating a simulated robot environment and implementing basic robot behaviors.

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Set up a ROS workspace and create a new package for your simulator.
Design a simple robot model using URDF or similar format.
Implement ROS nodes to control the robot's movement and sensors.
Create a launch file to start the simulator and robot nodes.

ROS Robotics Projects

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Explore practical ROS applications and projects to enhance your skills and knowledge.

View Robot Operating System (ROS) for Absolute... on Amazon

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Select a project from the book that aligns with your interests.
Follow the instructions to build the project and understand the underlying concepts.
Experiment with the project and modify it to suit your own needs.

Contribute to a ROS Package

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Deepen your understanding of ROS by contributing to an open-source ROS package.

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Find an open-source ROS package that interests you.
Identify a bug or feature that you can contribute.
Fork the package and make your changes.
Submit a pull request with your changes.

Career center

Learners who complete Complete ROS Start Guide - Windows/Mac/Linux - C++/Python will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

ROS Developer

A ROS Developer specializes in creating and maintaining software for robots using the Robot Operating System. This course is perfect for individuals wanting to become ROS Developers, covering essential ROS fundamentals. You will gain expertise in creating nodes, publishers, subscribers, custom messages, and services/clients. The skills in writing unit tests and using ROS bags will also be valuable for ensuring code quality and debugging. You also learn about logging and ROS launch files. By live coding everything from scratch, you can see every detail.

See salaries and explore the career path for ROS Developer

Robotics Software Engineer

Robotics Software Engineers develop software that controls and manages robots, often working with ROS, path planning, and perception algorithms. This course can help you learn about ROS and is highly relevant to this role. Through the course, you can learn to implement robot control algorithms using ROS nodes, messages, and services. The course's coverage of unit testing and logging helps ensure that the software is reliable and maintainable. Experience with configuring ROS on various platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux) can be advantageous. Robotics Software Engineers should take this course to solidify their grasp of ROS concepts.

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Robotics Engineer

As a Robotics Engineer, you will design, develop, and test robots and robotic systems. This course helps build a foundation in the Robot Operating System, which is essential in the robotics field. You will create ROS nodes and learn about publishing and subscribing, which are crucial for robot communication and control. The course's coverage of ROS launch files are relevant for managing complex robotic systems, and the section on importing functionality from other ROS packages assists in integrating various software components. Individuals looking to become Robotics Engineers should take this course to enhance their proficiency in ROS. The course's live coding from scratch can help you see every detail.

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Autonomous Vehicle Engineer

Autonomous Vehicle Engineers are responsible for developing self-driving vehicles, working on perception, planning, and control systems. This course helps one learn about ROS, a key framework in autonomous vehicle development. By creating ROS nodes and understanding message passing, you can build vehicle software. The course also covers ROS launch files and services/clients, which are essential for managing and coordinating different vehicle components such as sensors and actuators. A section on importing from other ROS packages can help you to integrate existing open source code. This course is particularly useful for aspiring Autonomous Vehicle Engineers who need to understand how to use ROS to create autonomous systems.

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Robotics Test Engineer

Robotics Test Engineers create and execute tests to validate the performance and reliability of robotic systems. This course helps to understand how to use ROS and test robot software. You will learn how to write ROS compatible unit tests in both C++ and Python, ensuring that individual components function correctly. The skills to use ROS bags for data logging and analysis are beneficial for identifying and resolving issues. The course's coverage of ROS commands provide a strong foundation for test engineers. The course's live coding component can help to see behind the scenes.

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Research Scientist, Robotics

Research Scientists in Robotics conduct research to advance the field of robotics, often focusing on new algorithms, control methods, and robot designs. This course helps solidify understanding of ROS. You can learn the practical aspects of ROS, including creating nodes, messages, and services, which is useful for prototyping and testing new research ideas. The skills to use ROS bags for data collection and analysis can also aid in experiments. With its practical focus, the course is relevant for Research Scientists.

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Mechatronics Engineer

Mechatronics Engineers integrate mechanical, electrical, and computer engineering principles to design and develop automated systems. This course helps to understand the software side of robotics using ROS. By creating ROS nodes, subscribers, and publishers, you can develop control algorithms for mechatronic systems. The course's coverage of custom ROS messages and services enables the creation of complex interactions between different system components. A section of the course goes over interfacing with other packages. This is extremely relevant for mechatronics.

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Simulation Engineer

Simulation Engineers create and use computer simulations to model and analyze physical systems. This course helps to understand ROS, which is often used in robotics simulations. Through creating ROS nodes, messages, and services, you can develop simulated robot environments and test control algorithms. The course's coverage of ROS launch files can help to manage complex simulation setups. Since robotics simulations rely heavily on frameworks like ROS, Simulation Engineers may find this course useful.

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Control Systems Engineer

Control Systems Engineers design and implement feedback control systems to regulate dynamic systems, often utilizing software and hardware integration. This course helps with ROS, which is valuable for simulating and controlling robotic systems. You can learn to implement control algorithms using ROS nodes, messages and services. The course's coverage of ROS launch files and logging helps manage and monitor control system performance. Control Systems Engineers may find this course to be a great resource for learning ROS.

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Automation Engineer

Automation Engineers design and implement automated systems in various industries, often using robots and control systems. This course may be useful for learning about ROS, especially if you plan to use it to control robots. You will gain experience creating ROS nodes, subscribers, and publishers, which can be applied to automation tasks. Furthermore, the coverage of ROS launch files and services can help manage and integrate complex automation systems. Given the course's focus on building a strong ROS foundation, Automation Engineers may find it beneficial.

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Embedded Systems Engineer

Embedded Systems Engineers design, develop, and test embedded software and hardware systems. The course helps to learn how to integrate ROS into embedded systems for robotics applications. Through it, one can develop ROS nodes and messages for communication between different embedded components. The skills to use ROS launch files and services can help to manage and coordinate complex embedded systems. Embedded Systems Engineers working on robotics projects may find this course to be very useful.

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AI Engineer

An AI Engineer develops and deploys artificial intelligence models and algorithms. The course may be helpful for those working with robotics projects as it introduces ROS, a common framework for robot control. It covers the fundamentals of ROS, including creating nodes, publishers, subscribers, and custom messages. This knowledge may facilitate the integration of AI models into robotic systems. Since robotics is an application of AI, individuals working as AI Engineers may find this course useful.

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Application Engineer

Application Engineers provide technical support and develop custom solutions for customers. This course is useful to understand ROS, which may be useful for robotics-related applications. You can learn to create ROS nodes, messages, and services, enabling them to develop and support ROS-based applications. The course's coverage of ROS command line tools and launch files can aid in troubleshooting and configuring systems. Application Engineers dealing with robotics may find the course beneficial.

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Technical Trainer

Technical Trainers teach technical skills to students or employees. This course helps to become proficient in ROS, which one can share with others. You will learn the fundamentals of ROS, including creating nodes, messages, and services, and can then teach these concepts to others. The course's hands-on approach and detailed explanations can help to prepare for teaching ROS effectively. Anyone looking to become a Technical Trainer in the field of robotics may find this course to be beneficial.

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Software Developer

Software Developers create and maintain software applications. This course may be helpful for Software Developers interested in robotics or who need to work with ROS. You will learn how to create ROS nodes, publishers, and subscribers using C++ and Python. The course also covers how to write unit tests, important for ensuring software quality. Software Developers looking to expand their skills may find this course beneficial.

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Complete ROS Start Guide - Windows/Mac/Linux - C++/Python

What's inside

Learning objective

Syllabus

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Reviews summary

Solid introduction to ros fundamentals

Activities

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