Skip to content

Workshop 1: Getting Started

Jump to bottom
Athanasios Polydoros edited this page Feb 10, 2026 · 4 revisions

Getting Started

Welcome to the CMP9764 module. This guide will walk you through setting up your development environment. We use a containerized approach to ensure that everyone has a consistent experience regardless of their base operating system.

1. Install Docker Desktop

We use Docker to provide a pre-configured ROS 2 with MoveIt2 and Gazebo environment. This prevents installation conflicts and ensures all dependencies are met.

  • Download: Only in our own machine. Docker is already installed at lab PCs. Get Docker Desktop for Windows, Mac, or Linux.
  • Setup: Follow the installation wizard.
  • Verify: Open a terminal and type docker --version. If it returns a version number, you are good to go.

2. Install VS Code

If you are working on your own machine (and not in the university lab), you will need Visual Studio Code.

  • Download: code.visualstudio.com
  • Extensions: To bridge your local machine with the Docker container, you must install the Dev Containers extension from the VS Code Marketplace and the Github extension as well

3. Copy the template repository

Once your tools are installed, you need to copy the module's repository. In order to do so, you need to have a GitHub account.

  1. Create a GitHub account (if you do not already have).
  2. Follow instructions here:

4. Verify Your Setup (MoveIt 2 Demo)

To ensure that your graphics forwarding and ROS 2 environment are functioning correctly, we will run the MoveIt 2 tutorial demo. MoveIt 2 is the industry standard for robotic motion planning and manipulation.

Steps to Run the Test:

  1. Open your workspace in VS Code.
  2. Reopen the folder in the Dev Container (click the green icon in the bottom-left corner).
  3. In the integrated terminal, source the ROS Humble environment: 
    source /opt/ros/humble/setup.bash
  4. Launch the Panda robot move group demo: 
    ros2 launch moveit_resources_panda_moveit_config demo.launch.py

Success Criteria:

  • An RViz window should open showing a Franka Panda robot arm.
  • You should be able to interact with the robot's end-effector (the interactive marker).
  • Clicking "Plan and Execute" in the Motion Planning tab should animate the robot.

Next Step: Once your setup is verified, you can proceed to ****.

Clone this wiki locally