Kshitij Tiwari Ph.D.

TT102: Introduction to Python for Robotics

Introductory Python programming course for absolute beginners in robotics

Introduction to Python for Robotics

In this introductory course aimed at absolute beginners in Robotics, we will learn Python programming basics. The idea is not to make this an all-inclusive exhaustive Python curriculum but to only touch on as many Python concepts as are relevant to program and deploy your very first robot in Simulation.

For this, we employ tools such Robot Operating System 2 (ROS 2) and use an integrated development environment (IDE) from Microsoft called Visual Studio Code (VSCODE).

TT102.1: Course Introduction

In this introductory lecture of the TT102 lecture series, we go over the scope of this lecture series, what will be covered, the teaching philosophy and who this lecture is for.

 

TT102.2: Syntax & Data Structures in Python

In this second lecture of the TT102 lecture series, we explore the clean and readable syntax of Python that makes it a favorite among beginners. We also look into Data Structures such as variables, lists, and more, crucial for robotic programming.

 

TT102.3: Docker & VS Code Environment

In this third lecture of the TT102 lecture series, we set up the coding environment for the rest of the lecture series that will be built incrementally and will include hands-on worked examples. For this, we employ Docker and the integrated development environment (IDE) is VSCode.



All the code developed as a part of this lecture series is available for FREE on the Github repository with all the relevant details to help you clone the project and build upon it.

 

TT102.4: Spawning a robot in Gazebo

In this fourth lecture of the TT102 lecture series, we finally gear up to spawn our very first mobile robot in simulation. For this, we employ the Robot Operating System (ROS) 2 and use the built-in simulator Gazebo to setup a mock environment and spawn a 4 wheeled robot.