Welcome to the First Chapter of Our Hands-On Course!
Today you're building a virtual apartment where robots can work! Watch this video to see what's possible:
- Build a URDF environment - Create a virtual apartment with furniture and objects (fridge, table, etc.)
- Visualize it - See your creation in RVIZ
- Ask questions about it - Use a knowledge base to answer queries like "Where is the milk?" or "What's in the kitchen?"
This teaches robots how to understand their environment and reason about where things are and what they can do.
Create and visualize a working URDF model with a fridge, table, and other kitchen objects.
URDF = Unified Robot Description Format. It's an XML format that describes physical objects and how they connect.
There are two main components:
- Links = the objects (a fridge door, a table top, etc.)
- Joints = the connectors (hinges, bolts, etc. that let parts move)
URDF also specifies:
- How things look (visual appearance)
- How they collide (for physics)
- How they move (what joints allow what motion)
Two common joint types:
- Revolute joint = rotates (like a door hinge)
- Prismatic joint = slides (like a drawer)
Start with a pre-made URDF file and visualize it in RVIZ. You'll see how the file structure maps to a 3D scene.
Add a fridge, table, and other furniture to your scene. Modify their positions and properties. For example:
- Place the fridge in the corner
- Put the table in front of it
- Add a chair, cabinet, or other kitchen objects
- How URDF files are structured
- How to position objects in 3D space (using x, y, z coordinates)
- How to define simple shapes (boxes, cylinders)
- How joints control movement