Before you begin
Starting knowledge
- Basic Python or C++ and command-line use.
- Understand observations, commands and coordinate frames.
Equipment & environment
Use a supported distribution and its matching tutorials. Begin with simulation and capture environment versions.
No fixed completion time: use the evidence gates below to decide when to advance. Resource links open the botstest directory entry; check its publisher documentation for the exact version and configuration.
Beginner
Learn the communication model
Make interfaces and component responsibilities explicit.
Learn in this order
- Nodes, topics, services and actions
- Message types, parameters and discovery
- Workspaces, packages and launch configuration
Put it into practice
- Build a publisher/subscriber example from matching documentation.
- Draw component ownership and record a short input/output trace.
A two-node package and interface diagram.
Ready for the next step when…
Resources for this stage
Intermediate
Integrate a task and expose failures
Add state, geometry and diagnostics to a bounded application.
Learn in this order
- Transforms, timestamps and data freshness
- Lifecycle, timeouts and cancellation
- Recorded-data debugging and configuration
Put it into practice
- Connect simulated sensing to a navigation or manipulation behavior.
- Inject a stale message or restart a node and inspect the response.
An integrated application with launch files and fault recordings.
Ready for the next step when…
Resources for this stage
Follow the official middleware learning path; use documentation matching your installed distribution.
Inspect recorded robot signals and build views that expose timing and system failures.
Study navigation components, maps, localization, behavior orchestration and recovery in the matching release.
Professional
Prepare a tested release and support plan
Make the application recoverable across versions and operators.
Learn in this order
- Unit, integration and scenario tests
- Release versions, rollback and configuration ownership
- Observability and operator escalation
Put it into practice
- Run a scenario suite from a fresh environment.
- Write a release and recovery procedure and have another engineer rehearse it.
A release package, test report and operational runbook.
Ready for the next step when…
Resources for this stage
Follow the official middleware learning path; use documentation matching your installed distribution.
Investigate a robot-data recording format and verify interoperability with your actual logging tools.
Visualize spatial observations and compare them with model and trajectory outputs.
Common pitfalls
- Mixing message/frame conventions across components.
- Using a successful launch as proof of correct behavior.
Where to go next
Continue to navigation, manipulation or fleet operations with the same interface and recovery discipline.
Explore other build paths →