> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://leftover-ice.gitbook.io/resources/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://leftover-ice.gitbook.io/resources/ros/beginners-guide-to-ros.md).

# Beginner's Guide to ROS

## Welcome

Hello there! Learning ROS for the first time may seem daunting for most, so I hope this space can serve as a guide to make the learning process more directed and newbie-friendly!

From personal experience, I struggled when learning ROS for the first time due to my lack of experience in both programming and robotics in general.

But I assure you, that with a positive attitude to learn and a lot of patience, you will find learning ROS manageable!

***

My beginner's guide to ROS will adopt the following structure/flow.

<img src="/files/XqUtgMMwxqFVUuNJXz5n" alt="" class="gitbook-drawing">

<mark style="color:orange;">**Prerequisites**</mark>

* What is Ubuntu?
* Unix Commands
* Basic Programming Knowledge with Python/C++
* Ubuntu Setup

<mark style="color:orange;">**ROS Installation**</mark>

* ROS Versions
* ROS Installation Guide (ROS2 Humble)

<mark style="color:orange;">**ROS Concepts (Beginner)**</mark>

* Nodes & Topics
* Publishers & Subscribers
* Services & Actions
* Launch Files & Parameters
* ROS File Structure & How to Write Packages

<mark style="color:orange;">**ROS Tools/Utilities**</mark>

* Data Inspection
  * `rqt, rqt_graph`
* Data Recording&#x20;
  * `ros2 bags`

<mark style="color:orange;">**Fundamental Robotics Concepts**</mark>

* Key Domains In Robotics Software
  * Perception
  * Localisation
  * Controls
  * Navigation
  * Simulation
* Fundamentals
  * Rotation/Quaternions
  * Rigid Body Transformations
  * Coordinate Frames
  * Costmaps
  * SLAM
  * Basic Control Theory
  * Basic Image Processing

***


---

# Agent Instructions
This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com.

## Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter:

```
GET https://leftover-ice.gitbook.io/resources/ros/beginners-guide-to-ros.md?ask=<question>&goal=<endgoal>
```

`ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
`goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal.

The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.