Robotics Club Hosts Two-Day Robot Operating System Workshop

The Robotics Club conducted a two-day ROS 2 workshop on September 2^nd and 3^rd, 2025, aimed at introducing students to the fundamentals and applications of the Robot Operating System in modern robotics. The workshop was conducted in collaboration with Karthikesh Robotics Private Limited, Chennai. The event saw enthusiastic participation from 58 students across various departments, primarily from the 3rd Year ARE program.

The workshop began with a inaugural session attended by faculty members including Dr. Santhosh B, Dr. Rammohan S, Dr. Amudhan A N, Dr. MohanRaj T, Dr. Devarajan K and Dr. Rakesh Kumar S. They shared encouraging words about the relevance of ROS in today’s academic and industrial landscape. Their words inspired students to explore robotics beyond the classroom and embrace open-source platforms like ROS for innovation.

The workshop was structured to offer students a hands-on introduction to ROS 2, focusing on key areas essential for modern robotics. Participants explored the fundamentals of ROS architecture and communication protocols, learned to set up simulation environments, and worked with sensor integration for real-time data handling. They also gained practical experience in controlling robots using publisher-subscriber models and were introduced to Gazebo for simulating and modeling robotic systems. The highlight of the workshop was the gesture-controlled robot project, where students successfully implemented and tested their robots in the Gazebo simulation environment. Using real-time gestures to control their simulated robots added an element of excitement and interactivity, making the learning experience both fun and impactful.

This workshop served as a bridge between academic learning and industry practices, giving students a glimpse into real-world robotic systems. Participants actively engaged with the speaker, discussing their ongoing projects and seeking feedback on how ROS could enhance their work. The collaborative spirit and curiosity displayed by the students were commendable.

The overall coordination of the workshop was overseen by Dr. A. N. Amudhan, who extends his sincere thanks to the Registrar, the Dean of Engineering, and the Head of the Mechanical Department for their support in facilitating the event. Acknowledgments are also extended to the volunteers, the Mechanical Department Office, and the Event Management Team for their valuable contributions toward the successful execution of the workshop.