# Robotics & ROS 2 Essentials Welcome to an open-source repository that contains materials and exercises needed to learn the essential robotics skills using ROS 2. This material is implemented for the 2024 iteration of the Master's level "Robotics & XR" course taught by [Dr. Ilkka Jormanainen](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilkka-jormanainen-5954441/) at the [University of Eastern Finland](https://www.uef.fi/en), in collaboration with [Henki Robotics](https://henkirobotics.com/). [](https://www.uef.fi/en) [](https://henkirobotics.com/) ## Course overview This course is designed to give you hands-on experience with the basics of robotics using ROS 2 and Gazebo simulation. The exercises focus on the [Andino robot](https://github.com/Ekumen-OS/andino_gz/tree/humble) from Ekumen and are structured to gradually introduce you to ROS 2 and Docker. No prior experience with ROS 2 or Docker is needed, and since everything runs through Docker, you won’t need to install ROS 2 on your system beforehand. Along the way, you’ll learn essential concepts like autonomous navigation and mapping for mobile robots. All the practical coding exercises are done in Python. ## Exercises This repository contains a set of exercises to learn the core concepts taught over the course through practical demos and coding exercises. Start from the exercises "0 - Setup" and follow the exercises one by one to learn the basics of robotics and ROS 2! 0. [Setup](0-setup) - Setup the exercises - Run the Gazebo simulation - Learn to use Docker 1. [ROS 2 Introduction](1-ros_2_introduction) - ROS 2 introduction - Gazebo and Rviz - ROS 2 topics; publish and subscribe - Transformations and tf-frames 2. [SLAM and Navigation Demo](2-slam_and_navigation_demo) - Create a map using slam-toolbox - Navigate autonomously using Nav2 - ROS 2 services 3. [Create your first ROS 2 package](3-create_ros_2_package) - ROS 2 packages - how to create your own package - Building and sourcing - ROS 2 Nodes 4. [Robot Odometry](4-robot_odometry) - Calculate and publish your robot's odometry using wheel velocities - Robot odometry and how to calculate it - Publish and subscribe to topics from Python code 5. [Path Planning](5-path_planning) - Basic navigation concepts - Modify Nav2 parameters - Custom path planning using Nav2 ## Lecture slides These slides accompany the practical exercises included in this repository and are meant to be covered at the same time. 1. [Theme 1: Robotics in society](lecture_slides/theme_1_robotics_in_society) 2. [Theme 2: Robotics applications](lecture_slides/theme_2_robotics_applications) 3. [Theme 3: Robot control theory](lecture_slides/theme_3_robot_control_theory) 4. [Theme 4: Navigation](lecture_slides/theme_4_navigation) 5. [Theme 5: Robotics & AI](lecture_slides/theme_5_robotics_ai) 6. [Theme 6: XR applications in Robotics](lecture_slides/theme_6_xr_applications_robotics) ## Contribute Did you encounter a problem during your exercises, or did you find a mistake? Report issues in the "Issues" section in GitHub, and we will help you. If you've found a fix to an existing issue, you can open a new Pull Request to fix it and contribute to this course. We highly appreciate all the contributions! ## Maintainers This course and repository is maintained by the main team members and co-founders of [Henki Robotics Oy](https://henkirobotics.com/): - Janne Karttunen. [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/janne-karttunen-a22375209/). [Github](https://github.com/Jannkar). - George-Cosmin Porusniuc. [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-cosmin-porusniuc-89019a168/). [Github](https://github.com/geoporus1). ## Acknowledgements We want to thank the following individuals for helping us in developing part of the material for this course and for providing support with teaching the in-person version of the course during the "Robotics & XR" Master's level course at the "University of Eastern Finland", in 2024 and 2025: - Prof. [Ilkka Jormanainen](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilkka-jormanainen-5954441/) - [Md Sajib Pramanic](https://www.linkedin.com/in/md-sajib-pramanic/) - [Haris Mashood](https://www.linkedin.com/in/harismashood/)