An open ROS 2 teaching platform for a university robotics lab
Sixteen mobile robot platforms, a semester-ready curriculum and a simulator that matches the hardware.
The challenge
- Previous lab kits were closed black boxes that students could not modify.
- Every hardware fault consumed lab time and depended on one technician.
- Simulation and real robots behaved differently, so code did not transfer.
What we built
- Open ROS 2 stack with documented interfaces down to the motor controller.
- Twenty-four progressive lab modules from teleoperation to autonomous navigation.
- Simulator calibrated against the physical platform, with record-replay for debugging.
- Spare-parts kit, reset checklist and a two-day instructor workshop.
— / Typical outcomes
Typical outcomes
16
platforms deployed
24
lab modules ready to teach
1 day
typical student time to first autonomous run
Scope of work
- Platform specification and sourcing
- ROS 2 software stack
- Curriculum and lab documentation
- Instructor training and support