Blog

Towards Easier ROS Setup & Collaboration – VSCode, Docker, and WSL2

Visual Studio Code is a very powerful tool. Over the past year, our team has utilized the LiveShare plugin to collaborate virtually. It’s like Google Docs for code. Combined with screen sharing, we were able to make a lot of progress together on the same project. But that’s not all. I’ve already written about using Docker with WSL2 (though that post is due for an update, but probably after Windows 21H2 releases). While the graphical Read more…

By Sean Fish, ago

Summer Recap – The Remote Edition!

So, this summer, we were unable to finish the hardware our team had spent so much time designing last fall and early this spring. But nonetheless, there was a lot of progress made after the last recap, so here’s some pictures. Daniel and Eric F. made a lot of progress fabricating the new boat’s pontoons. With Tyler, they CNC’d pink XPS foam into the fundamental layers that define the shape of the pontoons. Had the Read more…

By George Burdell, ago

Running ROS with GUI in Docker using Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL2)

With Virtual RobotX utilizing Docker, it seems like a good time to investigate how Docker can be utilized in improving onboarding. Windows is a very popular OS, and Linux dual booting can be a barrier to entry. Over several days, I researched how to get ROS and Gazebo functional on Docker on a Windows machine thanks to the magic of WSL2.  I heavily relied on this tutorial by Jack Kawell. It is a great primary Read more…

By Sean Fish, ago

Spring Recap – Steady as She Goes

RoboBoat Update – Competition Lead: Daniel Foreman The hardware team (Lead: Eric Fu) is about 3 to 4 weeks away from completing the structure of the new Autonomous Surface Vehicle. The new ASV will feature a holonomic thruster configuration for compatibility with software developed for Virtual RobotX 2019. Lake days will resume after Spring Break. RoboSub Update – Competition Lead: Rahul Rameshbabu A new dropper has been designed, and Anthony expects the prototype to be Read more…

By George Burdell, ago

New Year, New Semester, New Website.

Yesterday, we had our Spring Information Session! Today, we finally unveiled our new website. It has a few issues to fix, but at last, we are ad-free! This semester, we’re implementing new member projects to introduce newcomers to our club and older members more personally. Our team sponsorship packet is almost complete. It’s looking like an exciting semester!

By George Burdell, ago

Weekly Recap – Lots of Testing Edition!

General Update VRX submission time is almost here! Development Updates Perception: Ali and Justin worked on generating the world and data collection. The classifier has been trained. GNC: Coline is trying out improvements for various tasks and finding bugs. There is still a decision to make between A* and DAMN Arbiter. Hardware: The team has been researching fabrication of the pontoons, particularly vacuum-bagging fiberglass. R&D: The Simulation project has been working with UUV Simulator to Read more…

By Sean Fish, ago

November Lake Day

Today, GTMR went out to the lake! Robert, Matt, Eric, Daniel, Ali, and I were there. Game day made transportation logistics a little bit difficult, but we all made it in the end. The GPS was confirmed to be working, and Robert successfully ran Rahul’s dynamic model data collection program after (literally) tossing his phone onto the boat (known as Vinny) to get an internet connection to it. His dedication knows no bounds. The boat Read more…

By Sean Fish, ago

Weekly Recap – Organization Edition!

General Updates The lab is being organized! Also we have stickers! Development Updates Hardware: The team had an AUV thruster configuration review. The H thruster configuration was found to be a practical solution. Perception: Praneeth is working on getting the cameras ready for the sub pool test. Robert is working on the camera data for object detection. Eric is working on tuning the hyperparameters for the classifier using a grid search. Competition Updates RoboBoat: The Read more…

By George Burdell, ago

Weekly Recap – Back-in-the-Lab Edition!

General Updates In the past week, the team held ASV 2020’s second design review. Several points were made regarding electronics organization and pontoon fabrication. The team is also reviewing performance from the VRX dress rehearsal and working on improvements. Development Updates GNC: Vinny and Coline are working on the DAMN arbiter. MC is working on filtering the gates. Electrical: The team is looking into the sub’s ball dropper function and corresponding ROS node, and also Read more…

By George Burdell, ago

Weekly Recap – Skiles Edition!

General Updates We are still recruiting! If anyone is interested in Operations and Finance positions, let us know! Development Updates Electrical: We are almost ready to build a PCB for the sub and to start work on the dropper system. We are working to make sure Plongeur subsystems are ready for the next pool test. We are also looking into integrating the boat GPS system. Hardware: We are presenting for the second design meeting for Read more…

By George Burdell, ago