This 1-day event organised by InnoTecUK’s software development team aimed to introduce the basic tools and knowledge needed to understand and create ROS related projects. This workshop hosted by London South Bank Innovation Centre (LSBIC) helped the researcher and programmers uncover the basics of the ROS software using the Robot Ignite Academy Platform: An online ROS system providing tutorials and simulations via a browser window.
What is ROS
Also described as ‘The most demanded software for robotics enthusiasts’, ROS (Robot Operating System) is a BSD-licensed system for creating simplified robust robot behaviour. ROS ensures ease of use and flexibility for programmers who want to test their algorithms, simulate a virtual environment for testing, replicate numbers of robots for observing swarm behaviour, etc.
Why ROS
The ROS software and its benefits:
- Light-weight: Stand-alone libraries are wrapped around with a thin ROS layer
- Free and open-source: Most ROS software is open-source and free to use
- Multi-lingual: ROS modules can be written in any language for which a client library exists (C++, Python, MATLAB, Java, etc.)
- Distributed: Programs can be run on multiple computers and communicate over the network
- Peer to peer: Individual programs communicate over defined API (ROS messages, services, etc.)
4 secret techniques to learn ROS
- Identify the important parts of ROS that you must master in order to understand 80% of ROS programs. (Pareto principle)
- Remove many things that are not needed and just add “noise” to your learning. And how do I know what is “noise”? Feel it.
- Go step-by-step knowing where you are aiming and what you expect at the end of each step
- PRACTICE
Credit:
InnoTecUK’s team: Prof. G.S. Virk, Angelos Plastropoulos and Panagiotis Karfakis. Ricardo Tellez for offering the Robot Ignite Academy for the whole day. Prof. Tariq Sattar & Gabriela Alejandra at London South Bank Innovation Centre (LSBIC) for hosting this great event.
