ROS Summer School in Aachen, 2024
Die ROS Summer School an der FH Aachen bringt seit über 10 Jahren Teilnehmer:innen aus der ganzen Welt zusammen, um das Robot Operating System (ROS) kennenzulernen und anzuwenden. In diesem Jahr kamen Studierende aus Ländern wie Südafrika, Indien und Belgien, um an dem praxisorientierten Programm rund um mobile autonome Systeme teilzunehmen. Der Fokus der zweiwöchigen Veranstaltung liegt darauf, theoretisches Wissen in die Praxis umzusetzen und eine internationale Plattform für den Austausch in der Robotik zu bieten. Die intensive Beschäftigung ermöglicht den Teilnehmer:innen innerhalb der zwei Wochen praktisch anwendbares Wissen zu erlangen.
Learning by doing
The summer school offers a mixture of theory and practice. In the morning, the participants receive the necessary theoretical knowledge in lectures, which they can put into practice in the afternoon. The focus is on ROS2, the advanced open-source software framework that is widely used in robotics. The practice-orientated work includes programming and testing small rovers that steer autonomously through a course.
At the Mobility Competence Centre (KMAC), participants gather in teams at their computers to work on the tasks set. While some test their code, others check the cameras on the Turtle Bots. The atmosphere is lively and characterised by a strong group dynamic. "The best thing about the summer school is the community," reports Florian Stöckl, one of the participants. "We were immediately a really cool group, worked well together and supported each other when problems arose. It was a really valuable exchange because everyone came from a different area and therefore had different experiences."
Ready for the final challenge
The highlight of the event is the competition, in which the teams navigate their robots autonomously through a course. The robots have to locate and identify April tags, black and white position markers. "We're ready!" shouts Sherpherd Nemutandani, a student at the Tshwane University of Technology in South Africa, to his team. Accompanied by a mechanical buzz, the little robot starts moving. The positive mood among the participants is also evident during the degree challenge; the teams motivate each other to achieve their best performance.
A look into the future
The content of the summer school is adapted to the latest developments in technology. In addition to the switch to ROS2, current developments in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) are also playing an increasingly important role. Prof Dr Stephan Kallweit sees the combination of robotics and AI as a key aspect for the future of the event, albeit with limitations. "People will still have to do the practical application of the hardware," explains the supervising professor, "ChatGPT will not replace experienced robot operators, at least for the time being." This is good news, as the participants will continue to be trained as such in the coming years.
Some graduates of the programme plan to apply the skills they have learned in projects in their home countries. For example, the technologies are being used in wildlife conservation, where robots and drones programmed with ROS are used to monitor endangered species. This practical application demonstrates the impact of the summer school on global challenges.
