AEP 2026: Mobile Robotics Class 2

This video covers essential foundational concepts for mobile robotics, focusing on programming languages, Linux, version control, and hardware components. Programming Languages and Software Language Selection: The course uses Python for higher-level robotics tasks, such as autonomy and decision-making, while noting that C++ remains the industry standard. Python is preferred for this course because it is readable and useful for rapid prototyping. Embedded Systems: Lower-level development, such as programming microcontrollers to interface with sensors and actuators, relies mainly on C and, increasingly, Rust because of its stability. Linux and Terminal Usage Importance of Linux: Linux is used because major robotics middleware, including ROS, Robot Operating System, and Gazebo, is natively designed for it. Key Terminal Concepts: Paths: Understanding the difference between absolute paths, which start from the root `/`, and relative paths, which depend on the current directory, is important for navigation. Permissions: Administrative tasks, such as installing software through the `apt` package manager, require the `sudo` command to grant elevated privileges. Core Commands: Essential commands covered include `pwd`, print working directory; `ls`, list contents; `cd`, change directory; `mkdir`, make directory; `touch`, create file; `cat`, read file; and `echo`, write to file. Version Control Git and GitHub: Version control is a critical method for tracking project snapshots and supporting collaboration. Using Git, developers can manage different versions of their code, return to previous working states, and coordinate contributions from multiple team members without creating conflicts. Robotics Hardware A robot is defined as a machine capable of sensing its environment, actuating itself, moving, and processing data to make decisions. Sensors: Devices used to detect physical quantities include IMUs, acceleration and angular velocity; wheel encoders, position and velocity; rangefinders and LIDAR, distance and spatial mapping; cameras, visual data; and ultrasonic sensors, sound-based distance. Actuators: These convert energy into mechanical work. Common types include DC geared motors for rotation and linear actuators for back-and-forth movement. Embedded Computing: Microcontrollers: Examples include Arduino and STM32. These are used for low-level, high-frequency tasks like motor control and sensor polling. Single-Board Computers, SBCs: Examples include Raspberry Pi and Jetson Nano. These run full operating systems like Linux and handle computationally heavy tasks such as AI, computer vision, and SLAM.