10 Best Robot Operating System Courses and Certifications Online

Robot Operating System (ROS) is an open-source framework used for developing robotics applications. With its modular architecture, ROS has gained popularity among robotics enthusiasts and professionals alike. As the demand for ROS skills continues to grow, online courses have emerged as a convenient way to learn and acquire expertise. In this article, we will review some of the best Robot Operating System courses available online.

Here’s a look at the Best Robot Operating System Courses and Certifications Online and what they have to offer for you!

10 Best Robot Operating System Courses and Certifications Online

1. ROS for Beginners: Basics, Motion, and OpenCV by Anis Koubaa (Udemy) (Our Best Pick)

The course titled “ROS for Beginners: Basics, Motion, and OpenCV” is designed to help beginner-level users learn and understand the Robot Operating System (ROS) quickly. The course is intended to provide users with practical tips and focused introductions to ROS basics, as well as two essential fields in robotics: motion and perception. The instructor, Anis Koubaa, has years of experience working with ROS in academic and industrial projects, and he is passionate about developing programs with ROS.

The course is structured into three major steps. The first step covers ROS basics and foundation, including ROS topics, services, messages, and nodes. In the second step, users will learn how to apply the concepts learned in step one to make a robot move. The third step covers perception in ROS, and users will learn how a robot sees its environment using a camera and how images are collected and processed in OpenCV. The course also covers how to use Arduino boards and sensors with ROS using the ROSSERIAL Arduino interface.

The instructor’s approach is to take users step-by-step through the roadmap of learning ROS to ensure that they learn the concepts in the proper order and build experience from one lecture to the other. The course includes hands-on activities to help users assess their understanding and practice the concepts they learned.

The course covers the latest version of ROS, ROS Noetic, and includes several new videos explaining the fundamental concepts of ROS with hands-on illustrations. Users will gain the required skills to later learn ROS2 and navigation stack, as presented in the instructor’s two other courses. The course is structured to provide a focused introduction to the basics of ROS, addressing practical issues that could not be easily found in tutorials.

The instructor is the leader of the Robotics and Internet-of-Things Lab at Prince Sultan University and a consultant for Gaitech Robotics. He has developed many ROS packages for robots and drones and has been leading international scientific activities around ROS.

2. ROS for Beginners II: Localization, Navigation and SLAM by Anis Koubaa (Udemy)

The “ROS for Beginners II: Localization, Navigation and SLAM” course is designed to teach the foundation of mobile robots localization, navigation and SLAM with ROS in a practical approach. The course aims to bridge the gap between high-level information and technical aspects, as beginners often find it difficult to start learning these topics. The course assumes that learners have some background on the main concepts of Robot Operating System (ROS) such as ROS nodes, ROS topics, ROS services, and an understanding of the basic notion of motion with ROS.

The course presents detailed coverage of the most important package in ROS for navigation: the tf package. Without an understanding of this package, it is difficult to deeply understand how navigation works in ROS. The course provides a systematic introduction to the necessary theoretical background and complements it with demonstration and programming activities of the tf package utilities and API. The course contains lectures on 2D frames, transformations and localization, 3D frames, transformations and localization, orientation in 3D space, map-based navigation, configuration and tuning of the navigation stack parameters, and reactive navigation.

The course instructor, Anis Koubaa, has extensive experience programming with ROS for many years in academic and industrial projects. He has been teaching ROS at the University and providing training programs. Additionally, he is the R&D Director of Gaitech Robotics and has developed many ROS packages for robots and drones. Koubaa is also an international scientific leader in ROS, and he is the editor of five volumes of books with Springer entitled Robot Operating System, The Complete Reference.

Overall, the “ROS for Beginners II: Localization, Navigation and SLAM” course is a practical approach to introduce new learners to mobile robot navigation foundations and how it is implemented in ROS.

3. ROS For Beginners (ROS Noetic, Melodic, Kinetic) by Edouard Renard (Udemy)

The ROS for Beginners course covers the key concepts of Robot Operating System (ROS) to create powerful and scalable robot applications. The course is structured in a beginner-friendly way and goes through all the core ROS concepts step by step. The course focuses on ROS basics, communication tools, and building scalable applications. Activities and challenges are provided to help learners practice and avoid common mistakes. The course covers important functionalities such as Nodes, Topics, Services, Msg and Srv definitions, Parameters, Launch Files, and much more.

The course instructor, Edouard Renard, has extensive practical experience with ROS, having developed a complete ROS software for a 6-axis robotic arm and co-founded a business with a robot powered by ROS. The course includes best practices learned through his experience. The code in the course is in both Python and C++, so learners can decide which language to use.

The course covers ROS1 instead of ROS2 as it is currently more stable and mature. The course encourages learners to learn both versions as the concepts are identical, and it will allow them to work on any existing ROS project and with the new framework.

The course content includes Introduction, Install ROS and Setup Your Environment, Run Your First ROS Program, Communicate With ROS Topics, Communicate With ROS Services, Customize Your Application With Msg and Srv Files, Make Your Application Scalable With ROS Params and Launch Files, Extra, and Conclusion.

4. ROS2 For Beginners (ROS Foxy, Humble – 2022) by Edouard Renard (Udemy)

The ROS2 For Beginners course, instructed by Edouard Renard, aims to teach beginners how to become a Robot Operating System (ROS2) developer through step-by-step instruction. The course is designed to eliminate the steep learning curve experienced by those new to ROS2 by providing a structured, comprehensive curriculum. The course covers topics such as ROS2 installation, workspace, packages, nodes, topics, services, custom messages, parameters, and launch files. Each module of the course is focused on one key concept and includes concept explanations, step-by-step video guides, practice activities with detailed solution videos, and code downloads. The course also teaches learners how to use ROS2 tools to debug applications, monitor progress, and build code. At the end of the course, learners will have the opportunity to work on a complete project using the Turtlesim simulation.

Edouard Renard’s teaching method involves a step-by-step approach, going straight to the essential points, and emphasizes the importance of practice. He believes in starting with the “why” question, then providing the complete code with explanations. The course is not suitable for those who are already advanced or expert ROS2 developers or have no experience with Python or C++. Additionally, the course is not a “ROS1 to ROS2” guide; it is designed for learners with no prior experience in ROS1.

The course is structured to provide a comprehensive introduction to ROS2 for beginners. Each module covers one key concept with explanations, step-by-step video guides, practice activities with detailed solution videos, and code downloads. Learners will be taught how to use ROS2 tools to debug applications, monitor progress, and build code. The course ends with a complete project using the Turtlesim simulation.

The ROS2 For Beginners course by Edouard Renard provides a structured and comprehensive curriculum for those new to ROS2.

5. ROS2 (Foxy) For Beginners I: Basics and Fundamental Concepts by Anis Koubaa (Udemy)

The ROS2 (Foxy) For Beginners I: Basics and Fundamental Concepts course is designed to provide comprehensive coverage of the next generation of Robot Operating System (ROS) software development framework. The course title was changed to ROS2 (Foxy) For Beginners I: Basics and Fundamental Concepts from ROS2 (Foxy): The Next-Generation ROS to be in line with the ROS For Beginners course series. The course covers the latest LTS ROS2 version, ROS2 Foxy, updated in March 2022.

The course is aimed at those who are unsure about what ROS2 is, how it differs from ROS1, and whether it is time to migrate to ROS2. The course covers creating a workspace, a package, and writing programs using ROS. It is the right place to address all questions about ROS2, which is starting to replace ROS1.

The course covers the emergence of ROS1 since 2009 and its evolution as the defacto standard Ecosystem for developing all kinds of robotics applications. The ROS community identified gaps in ROS1, leading to the development of the next-generation version of ROS1, currently known as ROS2. The first official ROS2 release, known as Ardent Apalone, was launched on December 8th, 2017. The course covers the reasons for learning ROS2 and its future dominance over ROS1.

The course provides comprehensive coverage of the ROS2 ecosystem, including the implementation aspects of ROS2 topics, services, messages, and actions. The course objectives are to unveil the secrets of ROS2, explain the concepts of ROS2 using a hands-on approach, clarify the differences between ROS1 and ROS2, and demonstrate how to create a ROS2 workspace and packages using C++ and Python.

6. ROS2 Robotics Developer Course – Using ROS2 In Python by Raymond Andrade (Udemy)

The ROS2 Robotics Developer Course – Using ROS2 In Python, instructed by Raymond Andrade, is designed to teach beginners how to use the latest version of the Robot Operating System (ROS 2) in Python to program their own robots. The course covers installation of ROS2, how to develop code that uses the framework, and simulation tools to make and control a robot. It is also suitable for developers who utilized the previous ROS version and want to learn how to use the newly reworked ROS2 API. The course is broken down into 6 sections: Course Introduction, Environment Setup, ROS2 Overview, Using ROS2 in Python, Robotics Simulation, and Advanced Features in ROS2.

Section 1 is a general introduction while Section 2 covers how to set up a computer to run ROS2. Section 3 provides an overview of the tools included in the ROS2 framework, and Section 4 focuses on how to implement the various ROS2 tools in Python code. Section 5 covers simulation and sensor data visualization tools, and Section 6 goes over advanced features of ROS2, including building ROS2 from source and utilizing the ROS2 bridge. The course also uses the OpenCV library to work with image data from a robot’s camera.

The course is designed for beginners with little to no experience in ROS2 and is conducted using Python 3 with ROS2 Foxy. It is worth noting that unlike ROS1, ROS2 has cross-platform support, allowing it to be used on Ubuntu, Windows 10, and MacOS Mojave. ROS2 also offers compatibility with ROS1 systems, enabling integration with previous ROS1 projects.

In conclusion, the ROS2 Robotics Developer Course – Using ROS2 In Python offers a comprehensive and hands-on learning experience for beginners and developers. With its focus on Python code and simulation tools, it provides a strong foundation for those interested in real-world robotics programming.

7. Intro Robotics Developer Course – Using ROS in Python by Raymond Andrade (Udemy)

The Intro Robotics Developer Course – Using ROS in Python is designed for beginners who have little or no experience using the Robot Operating System (ROS) platform. The course is taught by instructor Raymond Andrade and focuses on using Python 3 with ROS Noetic for coding. Students will learn how to install ROS, develop code that uses the framework, and use simulation tools to create and control their own robots.

The course is divided into six main sections. The first section provides an overview of the course, while the second section teaches students how to set up their computer to run ROS. This includes installation of the Ubuntu operating system and introduction to the code editors used in the course.

In the third section, students will learn about the various tools included in the ROS framework and their functions. The majority of the course is dedicated to the fourth section, where students will learn how to implement the ROS tools in their Python code. The fifth section covers the use of simulation and sensor data visualization tools offered by ROS.

Finally, the course outro provides information on what students can do after completing the course and includes a survey to provide feedback for course improvement. A bonus section is also included.

This course offers an introduction to programming real world robotics using the widely used ROS platform. Students will learn how to use Python with ROS Noetic, install ROS, develop code, and use simulation tools. The course is divided into six main sections, with the majority of the course focused on implementation of the ROS tools in Python code. The course outro provides additional information and a survey for course feedback.

8. ROS for Beginners III: Web-based Navigation with ROSBridge by Anis Koubaa (Udemy)

The course entitled “ROS for Beginners III: Web-based Navigation with ROSBridge” is a project-based course that aims to teach how to develop a web interface to teleoperate and interact with ROS-enabled robots using ReactJS, a popular JavaScript framework for front-end development. The instructor for this course is Anis Koubaa. The project presented in this course involves developing a comprehensive web interface that can allow users to interact with their robot easily through a web interface using ReactJS.

This course will bridge the gap between the robotics world and the web development world, providing a systematic introduction to the topic of web development for ROS-enabled robots. The course will use the ReactJS web development technology, which is the most popular JavaScript front-end development framework. This course is unique in that it aims to help engineers who work in the robotic area with no background in web development and web developers with no experience in robotic areas or ROS.

To take advantage of this course, some prerequisites are required. It is recommended that students be already familiar with Robot Operating System (ROS) and its navigation stack. If not, two courses entitled ROS for Beginners I and II should be taken before taking this course. Basic knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript is also recommended, although it is not required to have prior knowledge of ReactJS because the essential concepts will be introduced in this course.

The course is divided into five sections: Introduction, Creating the Basic React Application, Connection Component, Teleoperation Component, and Map-based navigation on the browser. In the end, a web interface will be developed that will allow you to teleoperate and monitor the robot based on ROS. The web interface will display live information about the robot such as its position, orientation, and linear and angular velocity. The last part of this project deals with map-based navigation. You will be able to display the navigation map on the web browser and send the goal location for the robot to navigate to.

9. ROS Robot Operating System for absolute beginners | Hands-on by Anirban Ghatak (Udemy)

The course titled “ROS Robot Operating System for absolute beginners” is designed to provide an introduction to ROS technology for individuals interested in robotics. The course is presented by Anirban Ghatak and offers training on 10 ROS projects. Topics covered include ROS Nodes, Topics, packages, msg, teleop, Joystick interface, and Arduino serial with ROS.

The course aims to address challenges related to skilling on ROS, which include an upward skilling demand and difficulties installing ROS locally. Anirban Ghatak has designed the course as a hands-on approach with 10 projects to tackle these challenges. The course offers two pre-installed versions of ROS VM to address the installation challenge and provides a steep curve through ROS Wiki by using applied projects.

The course offers over 5 hours of content, including sample codes to help participants get skilled in robotics, which is among the most in-demand skills in the market. The training is designed to be easy to follow and aims to cover a wide range of topics, including the simulation of various robots like TurtleBot2, R2D2, Hector Drone, and more using Gazebo, Rviz, and MoveIT packages.

Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to create a ROS chatter application, simulate various devices like TurtleSim in Keyboard-based teleop, custom 2-wheeled robots using Python, R2D2 star wars robots in ROS and Gazebo, and Hector drone in a ROS Outdoor environment. They will also learn about ROS Serial with Arduino Uno and ultrasonic sensor, Servo control, and MoveIT to run the Panda Pick and Place robot.

The course includes a section on how to use ROS with Arduino Uno. The training materials are provided via Oracle VM box with ROS Indigo and ROS Melodic, which are available for download. The course has received positive reviews from past Udemy students, with 5-star ratings and good feedback.

10. ROS Tutorials for Beginners by Milan Yadav (Udemy)

The ROS Tutorials for Beginners course is designed to help individuals master the Robot Operating System (ROS) Melodic & Noetic for Industrial Robotics Programming. The course is aimed at individuals who want to advance their careers in the field of Robotics and Sensor Integration. It is a 4-hour, power-packed course that covers the fundamental concepts of ROS in a step-by-step manner.

The course was created after extensive research on Stackoverflow, Quora, Reddit, YouTube, and other Q&A websites, to handpick the concepts that are difficult to understand for beginners. It covers various topics, including ROS Introduction & Installation, ROS Nodes & Master, Logging, ROS Topics and Messages, ROS communication graph / rqt_graph, Turtlesim Package Examples, Navigating ROS Documentation, Autonomous turtle movement, and many more.

The course is designed to maintain the flow of the course by offering step-by-step explanation, allowing students to easily replicate the steps at their end. It also focuses on answering why a particular step has to be carried out, instead of focusing on which steps need to be carried out. Additionally, the course uses larger font sizes throughout to make it easier for students to concentrate even on small screen devices.

Some other highlights of the course include teaching techniques to increase productivity using different shortcuts, as well as providing a comprehensive outline of the course. This includes ROS Parameters, YAML File, XML and Launch Files, Important tags in Launch files, ROS communication, Multi-machine setup, and more.

Overall, the ROS Tutorials for Beginners course provides an excellent opportunity for individuals to learn the most popular and essential tool in Robotics. Enrolling in this course will equip students with the necessary skills to navigate the Robot Operating System from scratch using both the C++ and Python programming languages.