Robohub.org
 

Programming for robotics: Introduction to ROS


by
07 March 2017



share this:

This handy video-tutorial course gives an introduction to the Robot Operating System (ROS), including many of the available tools that are commonly used in robotics. With the help of different examples, the tutorials offer a great starting point to learn programming robots. You will learn how to create software including simulation, to interface sensors and actuators, and to integrate control algorithms.

The course consists of a guided tutorial and exercises with increasing level of difficulty working with an autonomous robot. We provide recordings of the lectures and give an introduction to the exercises. From the course website, you can download all the material including exercise sheets and templates, and use the provided Virtual Machine (VM) image to start programming right away.

Objectives:

  • ROS architecture: Master nodes, topics, messages, services, parameters and actions
  • Console commands: Navigating and analyzing the ROS system and the catkin workspace
  • Creating ROS packages: Structure, launch-files, and best practices
  • ROS C++ client library (roscpp): Creating your own ROS C++ programs
  • Simulating with ROS: Gazebo simulator, robot models (URDF) and simulation environments (SDF)
  • Working with visualizations (RViz) and user interface tools (rqt)
  • Inside ROS: TF transformation system, time, bags

Course 1:


Course 2:


Course 3:


Course 4:

Download the full presentation here.

P. Fankhauser, D. Jud, M. Wermelinger, M. Hutter, “Programming for Robotics – Introduction to ROS”, ETH Zurich, 2017. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.14140.44161


If you liked this tutorial, you may also enjoy these:

See all the latest robotics news on Robohub, or sign up for our weekly newsletter.



tags: , , , , , , , ,


Péter Fankhauser is a co-founder and Chief Business Development Officer at ANYbotics
Péter Fankhauser is a co-founder and Chief Business Development Officer at ANYbotics

            AUAI is supported by:



Subscribe to Robohub newsletter on substack



Related posts :

Exploring the Moon will require rovers that can think for themselves – an upcoming NASA mission will test whether they can

  04 Sep 2026
NASA is planning to send three small rovers to the Moon to autonomously compute how to best explore a patch of ground.

Surviving the paper deluge: Notes from an ICRA panel on publishing, LLMs, and the future of peer review

Experts discuss peer-review challenges and possibilities for reshaping the process.

When expressive humanoid robots are awkward, people become wary – new brain study

  31 Aug 2026
People become more suspicious of a humanoid robot that makes errors, especially when the robot is an expressive conversation partner.

First 11 vs 11 humanoid soccer game played at RoboCup 2026

  28 Aug 2026
Watch highlights from this historic match.

How green is your robot? And other awkward questions

Robots clean rivers and sort waste, monitor ecosystems, and inspect renewable-energy infrastructure. But even the greenest robot has an environmental footprint.

These tiny drones are powered by sound

  24 Aug 2026
EPFL engineers have designed acoustic cavities that convert sound waves into thrust, propelling small robots and ultralight aerial vehicles without on-board actuators or electronics.

#AAMAS2026 blue sky award winner: Foundation world models for agents in changing environments

and   21 Aug 2026
Hear from the AAMAS 2026 Best Blue Sky Paper Award winner.

Robotics roadmaps from around the world spotlight of the month: Japan

Robots have been a prolific theme in Japanese pop culture and media since the 1950s



AUAI is supported by:







Subscribe to Robohub newsletter on substack




 















©2026.05 - Association for the Understanding of Artificial Intelligence