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Environment Setup Guide

Overview​

This guide provides detailed instructions for setting up the development environment required for the Physical AI & Humanoid Robotics course. The setup includes ROS 2, simulation environments, AI frameworks, and all necessary dependencies.

Development Environment Setup Flow
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    System Prerequisites                         │
│  ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────────────┐  │
│  │   Hardware   │  │  Operating   │  │   User Account &     │  │
│  │ Requirements │  │   System     │  │   Dependencies       │  │
│  │              │  │ Requirements │  │                      │  │
│  │ • GPU/CUDA   │  │ • Ubuntu     │  │ • sudo privileges    │  │
│  │ • RAM/Storage │  │ • Kernel     │  │ • Git, curl, wget  │  │
│  └──────────────┘  └──────────────┘  └──────────────────────┘  │
└─────────────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────┘
                                  │
┌─────────────────────────────────▼───────────────────────────────┐
│                    Core Frameworks Setup                        │
│  ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────────────┐  │
│  │    ROS 2     │  │  NVIDIA &    │  │ Python Environment │  │
│  │  Installation│  │   Isaac      │  │   & AI Libraries   │  │
│  │              │  │ Installation │  │                      │  │
│  │ • Humble     │  │ • GPU Drivers│  │ • Virtual Env      │  │
│  │ • Packages   │  │ • Isaac Sim  │  │ • PyTorch, TF, etc │  │
│  │ • Tools      │  │ • Isaac ROS  │  │ • OpenAI Whisper   │  │
│  └──────────────┘  └──────────────┘  └──────────────────────┘  │
└─────────────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────┘
                                  │
┌─────────────────────────────────▼───────────────────────────────┐
│                   Simulation Environments                       │
│  ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────────────┐  │
│  │   Gazebo     │  │    Unity     │  │ Development Tools  │  │
│  │  Installation│  │  Installation│  │   & Configuration  │  │
│  │              │  │              │  │                      │  │
│  │ • Physics    │  │ • Rendering  │  │ • VS Code/Editors  │  │
│  │ • Simulation │  │ • HRI        │  │ • Aliases & Paths  │  │
│  └──────────────┘  └──────────────┘  └──────────────────────┘  │
└─────────────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────┘
                                  │
                          ┌───────▼───────┐
                          │ Verification  │
                          │   & Testing   │
                          └───────────────┘

Prerequisites​

Hardware Requirements​

  • CPU: Multi-core processor (Intel i7 or AMD Ryzen equivalent recommended)
  • RAM: 16GB minimum, 32GB recommended
  • GPU: NVIDIA GPU with compute capability 6.0+ (RTX series recommended)
  • Storage: 100GB+ free space for all components
  • Network: Reliable internet connection for downloads

Software Requirements​

  • Operating System: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (recommended) or Ubuntu 20.04 LTS
  • Kernel: Latest stable kernel for optimal hardware support
  • User Account: Non-root user with sudo privileges

ROS 2 Installation​

1. System Preparation​

# Update system packages
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

# Install locale support
sudo apt install locales
sudo locale-gen en_US.UTF-8
sudo update-locale LANG=en_US.UTF-8

2. Set Up Sources​

# Add ROS 2 GPG key
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y curl gnupg lsb-release
sudo curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ros/rosdistro/master/ros.key -o /usr/share/keyrings/ros-archive-keyring.gpg

# Add ROS 2 repository
echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/ros-archive-keyring.gpg] http://packages.ros.org/ros2/ubuntu $(source /etc/os-release && echo $UBUNTU_CODENAME) main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ros2.list > /dev/null

3. Install ROS 2 Humble Hawksbill​

# Update package list
sudo apt update

# Install ROS 2 desktop package
sudo apt install -y ros-humble-desktop

# Install colcon build tools
sudo apt install -y python3-colcon-common-extensions

# Install additional ROS packages
sudo apt install -y python3-rosdep python3-rosinstall python3-rosinstall-generator python3-wstool build-essential

4. Initialize rosdep​

# Initialize rosdep
sudo rosdep init
rosdep update

5. Set Up ROS 2 Environment​

# Source ROS 2 in your shell
echo "source /opt/ros/humble/setup.bash" >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

NVIDIA Isaac Setup​

1. Install NVIDIA GPU Drivers​

# Check for available drivers
ubuntu-drivers devices

# Install recommended NVIDIA driver
sudo ubuntu-drivers autoinstall

# Reboot after installation
sudo reboot

2. Verify GPU and Driver Installation​

# Check GPU
nvidia-smi

# Check CUDA version
nvcc --version

3. Install Isaac Sim​

  1. Download Isaac Sim from NVIDIA Developer website
  2. Extract the downloaded package
  3. Run the installation script:
# Navigate to extracted Isaac Sim directory
cd isaac_sim_path
bash install_deps.sh

4. Install Isaac ROS Dependencies​

# Install Isaac ROS dependencies
sudo apt install -y python3-pip python3-dev

# Install Python dependencies
pip3 install --user numpy scipy matplotlib

# Install CUDA toolkit (if not already installed)
wget https://developer.download.nvidia.com/compute/cuda/12.2.0/local_installers/cuda_12.2.0_535.54.03_linux.run
sudo sh cuda_12.2.0_535.54.03_linux.run

Python Environment Setup​

1. Install Python 3.10​

# Install Python 3.10 and pip
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y python3.10 python3.10-venv python3.10-dev python3-pip

# Set Python 3.10 as default (optional)
sudo update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/python3 python3 /usr/bin/python3.10 1

2. Create Virtual Environment​

# Create virtual environment
python3 -m venv ~/physical_ai_env

# Activate virtual environment
source ~/physical_ai_env/bin/activate

# Upgrade pip
pip install --upgrade pip

3. Install Python Dependencies​

# Activate environment
source ~/physical_ai_env/bin/activate

# Install core dependencies
pip install numpy scipy matplotlib pandas

# Install AI/ML libraries
pip install torch torchvision torchaudio --index-url https://download.pytorch.org/whl/cu118
pip install tensorflow
pip install transformers  # For LLM integration

# Install audio processing libraries
pip install pyaudio speechrecognition

# Install OpenAI Whisper
pip install openai-whisper

# Install other dependencies
pip install opencv-python open3d

Gazebo Installation​

Install Gazebo Garden​

# Add Gazebo repository
sudo curl -sSL http://get.gazebosim.org | sh

# Install Gazebo Garden
sudo apt install gz-garden

Unity Setup (Optional)​

For Unity-based simulation:

  1. Download Unity Hub from Unity website
  2. Install Unity Hub and use it to install Unity 2022.3 LTS
  3. Install required Unity packages for robotics:
    • Universal Render Pipeline
    • Visual Effect Graph
    • ProBuilder

Development Tools​

1. Install Git and Version Control​

sudo apt install -y git git-lfs
git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"

2. Install IDE/Editor​

Choose one of the following:

For VS Code:

sudo snap install --classic code
# Install ROS extension in VS Code

For other editors:

  • Vim with ROS plugins
  • Emacs with ROS packages
  • PyCharm with ROS integration

3. Install Additional Tools​

# Install monitoring tools
sudo apt install htop iotop nethogs

# Install build tools
sudo apt install cmake build-essential

# Install network tools
sudo apt install net-tools curl wget

Verification Steps​

1. Verify ROS 2 Installation​

# Source ROS 2
source /opt/ros/humble/setup.bash

# Test ROS 2
ros2 run demo_nodes_cpp talker
# In another terminal, run: ros2 run demo_nodes_py listener

2. Verify Python Environment​

# Activate environment
source ~/physical_ai_env/bin/activate

# Test Python packages
python3 -c "import torch; print('PyTorch:', torch.__version__)"
python3 -c "import cv2; print('OpenCV:', cv2.__version__)"
python3 -c "import whisper; print('Whisper: installed')"

3. Verify GPU Acceleration​

# Check CUDA
nvidia-smi
nvcc --version

# Test PyTorch with GPU
python3 -c "import torch; print('CUDA available:', torch.cuda.is_available())"

Troubleshooting Common Issues​

1. ROS 2 Installation Issues​

Problem: Package not found during ROS 2 installation

  • Solution: Verify Ubuntu version is supported and repository is correctly added

Problem: rosdep initialization fails

  • Solution: Check internet connection and try again, or manually initialize

2. GPU Issues​

Problem: nvidia-smi command not found

  • Solution: Install NVIDIA drivers properly and reboot

Problem: CUDA not working with PyTorch

  • Solution: Ensure CUDA version compatibility with PyTorch version

3. Isaac Sim Issues​

Problem: Isaac Sim fails to launch

  • Solution: Verify GPU drivers and check system requirements

Problem: Isaac Sim performance issues

  • Solution: Check system resources and adjust quality settings

4. Python Environment Issues​

Problem: Package installation fails

  • Solution: Check virtual environment activation and internet connection

Problem: Audio packages not working

  • Solution: Check audio system setup and permissions

Environment Configuration​

1. Bash Profile Setup​

Add these lines to your ~/.bashrc:

# ROS 2 setup
source /opt/ros/humble/setup.bash

# Python virtual environment (optional - uncomment if desired)
# source ~/physical_ai_env/bin/activate

# Custom aliases for robotics development
alias cb='cd ~/ros2_ws && colcon build'
alias sb='source ~/ros2_ws/install/setup.bash'
alias rb='cd ~/ros2_ws && colcon build && source install/setup.bash'

2. Workspace Setup​

# Create ROS 2 workspace
mkdir -p ~/ros2_ws/src
cd ~/ros2_ws

# Build workspace (initially empty)
colcon build

# Source workspace
source install/setup.bash

Testing the Complete Setup​

1. Basic ROS 2 Test​

# Test basic communication
ros2 run demo_nodes_cpp talker &
ros2 run demo_nodes_py listener

2. Python AI Test​

# Activate environment
source ~/physical_ai_env/bin/activate

# Test AI libraries
python3 -c "
import torch
import numpy as np
import cv2
import whisper
print('All libraries loaded successfully')
print('CUDA available:', torch.cuda.is_available())
"

3. Simulation Test​

Launch a basic Gazebo simulation:

gz sim -v 4

Maintenance and Updates​

1. Regular Updates​

# Update system packages
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

# Update ROS 2 packages
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y ros-humble-*

# Update Python packages (in virtual environment)
source ~/physical_ai_env/bin/activate
pip list --outdated --format=freeze | grep -v '^\-e' | cut -d = -f 1 | xargs -n1 pip install -U

2. Backup Configuration​

Create a backup of your setup configuration:

# Create setup script backup
cp ~/.bashrc ~/setup_backup/bashrc_backup_$(date +%Y%m%d)
cp -r ~/physical_ai_env ~/setup_backup/python_env_backup_$(date +%Y%m%d)

Summary​

This setup guide provides a complete environment for the Physical AI & Humanoid Robotics course. After completing these steps, you should have:

  • ROS 2 Humble Hawksbill installed and configured
  • NVIDIA GPU drivers and Isaac Sim ready
  • Python environment with AI/ML libraries
  • Gazebo simulation environment
  • All necessary development tools

The environment is ready for all course modules including ROS 2 communication, simulation, AI perception, and Vision-Language-Action integration. Regular maintenance and updates will keep your environment current and secure.

Accessibility Features​

This setup guide includes the following accessibility features:

  • Semantic HTML structure with proper heading hierarchy (H1, H2, H3)
  • Sufficient color contrast for text and background
  • Clear navigation structure with logical tab order
  • Descriptive headings and section titles
  • Keyboard navigable interactive elements
  • Code blocks with syntax highlighting for better readability