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ROS Summer School

Our first ROS Summer School in 2012 showed that a lot of students are interested in mobile autonomous systems, but do not know how to start. Our ROS Summer Schools provide the right starter kit by using our robotic hardware and - of course - ROS software. We first start with some days of introductory courses, before we tackle the main tasks of mobile robotics, i.e. perception, localization, mapping and path planning.

Our philosophy is: "Learning by doing to get hands-on experience". Besides acquiring the necessary theorethical knowlegde, all topics will be taught in small groups on real mobile robots.

A highlight is a competition (urban challenge) at the end of the summer school: Participants form different teams that have the task to design a typical mobile robotic application like indoor/outdoor exploration. They all use the same hardware, powered by their learnt ROS skills.

The ROS Summer School also includes some leisure activities, such as a guided tour of the old imperial city of Aachen, barbecues and city trips (either to Paris, Cologne, Maastricht or other cities nearby).

The ROS Summer School is supported by the ROSIN project of the European Commission: http: //wiki.ros.org/rosin/acknowledgement

Why ROS?

Remarkable progress has been made in the field of mobile robotics in recent years thanks to advanced hardware such as 3D sensors and powerful embedded systems for processing. But software has also evolved: When Willow Garage launched the first version of ROS (Robot Operating System) in 2010, a standardisation of the "middleware" that drives the world of mobile robotics began. ROS is open source and provides the necessary services of an operating system. It is fine-grained and consists of numerous reusable modules. It also provides tools and libraries for sourcing, creating, writing and running code on multiple computers with a powerful communication engine.

The next ROS Summer School 2025

ROS - Programme

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The ROS Summer School will be held from 25th August - 5th September, 2025. It covers common topics regarding mobile robotics:

Introduction to Mobile Robotics
ROS File System
ROS Communication
Hardware and Sensors
ROSSerial
Transformations in ROS
Image Processing with OpenCV & ROS
Landmark Detection
Localization, Mapping and SLAM
Path Planning

The participants will use the middleware ROS (Robot Operating System) as Operating System for Robots. Alongside learning the theory, all topics will be experienced in small groups on real hardware using our mobile robots developed at the FH Aachen. In end the participants will apply their acquired knowledge to solve a secret problem and show their results in a competition.

Here is the program:
25th August 2025 | Registration, ROS Show, welcome barbecue
26th August 2025 | ROS2 Basics: Navigating in Linux and ROS2 Filesystem
27th August 2025 | ROS2 Basics: ROS2 internal Communication
28th August 2025 | Hardware interfaces, Transforms in ROS2
29th August 2025 | Introduction to GAZEBO simulator, April tag recognition

Course Credit, ROS Certificate and Transcript

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A participation certificate is issued for all ROS Summer School students and handed out at the end of the summer school. The certificate lists the topics covered, the duration of the summer school and the course credit (4 ECTS credits). The course credit applies not for internal ROS students (FH students, who are involved as ROS tutors).

All ROS participants have the option to take the final written exam. In the application form, please answer the question "Do you wish to take the final written exam?" correspondingly. Those who write the exam, will get a ROS transcript with a grade for their test performance. The grading scheme is as follows:

from 1.0 to 1.5 = very good
from 1.6 to 2.5 = good
from 2.6 to 3.5 = satisfactory
from 3.6 to 4.0 = sufficient
above 4.0 = failed

Apply for the ROS Summer School 2025

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We are glad to announce that we will hold a ROS Summer School this year. However, we had to postpone the summer school originally planned for August to a later date. Instead, the ROS Summer School will take place from 25th August to 5th September, 2025 at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics at FH Aachen. As the ROS Summer School is a non-profit event, only registrations from students or employees of educational or research institutions can be considered.

If you would like to participate in the ROS Summer School 2025, please register on the Eveeno page https://eveeno.com/ros-2025 (see QR code at the right).

Please note that the application deadline for this year's ROS Summer School is August 24, 2025. Later applications cannot be considered. The registration page will be closed after August 24, 2025.

Requirements

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Programming Skills:
We want summer school participants to make significant, noticeable progress in learning and applying ROS. Therefore the practical sessions are going to take most of the time of the Summer School. Basic knowledge in C++ or Python is recommended to complete the practical sessions successfully. Experience with ROS or Linux is not required.

Laptop:
A laptop is provided for the duration of the summer school. You don't have to bring your own personal laptop with you.

Language Skills:
Participants should have a good proficiency in English as the ROS Summer School is held completely in English.

Insurance:
The Aachen University of Applied Sciences (FH Aachen) requires that the ROS Summer School participants have appropriate and valid medical, liability and accident insurance for the duration of the ROS Summer School. Please note that the FH Aachen does not cover any of these risks.

German data privacy law/Internet & Social Media:
According to German data privacy laws, you must agree to the following statement before we can post your picture, even in a group photo, on the internet.
"I agree that my picture can be published by FH Aachen on our ROS home page."
"I agree that my picture can be published by FH Aachen on the following Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/fhac08/"

Registration Fee and Other Costs

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Registration Fee

The ROS Summer School registration fee is 500 Euro and includes beverages during the course at the FH Aachen. Costs for day trips are not included in the fee and will be paid later on site.

Please note that your application is only valid after timely payment. The application procedure is explained on the application form (the link to registration is published here within a few days).

If after registering you are unable to attend the summer school, or if you cancel your registration, you may request a refund of your registration fee. You need to send us a written request via email.
Please be aware that payment can be made by bank transfer only. All payments are in EURO. For any bank transfer made from outside the Euro zone, please be aware of bank service charges. All bank charges for remittances are to be borne by the participant!

Accommodation and Food

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The costs for accommodation and meals are not included in the participation fee. The participation fee only includes drinks and BBQs during the course at FH Aachen.

Since the demands on accommodation are as varied as our guests, we recommend that all ROS Summer School participants use the usual booking portals on the Internet to find accommodation to suit their taste and budget. If you have any further questions, please contact the organizers of the ROS Summer School.