Virtual Machine Setup
Prepare a development virtual machine with Ubuntu, ROS 2 and VS Code for coding and testing without physical hardware.
If you prefer to develop and test the robot software on your own computer, you can set up a virtual machine (VM). Install a current Ubuntu LTS image (e.g., 24.04), then install ROS 2 and development tools inside the VM.
- Install VirtualBox or VMware: Download and install a virtualization platform on your host machine.
- Create a new VM: Allocate at least 4 GB RAM and 20 GB disk space. Mount the Ubuntu ISO and follow the installation prompts.
- Install ROS 2: Inside the VM, follow the official ROS 2 installation guide for your Ubuntu version. Set up your ROS 2 environment by adding
source /opt/ros/${ROS_DISTRO}/setup.bashto your.bashrc. - Install development tools: Use
sudo apt install git python3-colcon-common-extensions python3-rosdepand install VS Code via Snap or apt. - Clone the repositories: Clone
common_platformand other course repositories into the VM and build them as you would on the Pi.
Although there are no robot‑specific commands for the VM setup, this module ensures developers can replicate the software stack for experimentation and debugging without physical hardware.