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Setting up your PC

The first step in getting started on the competition is to get access to a computer with the right system requirements, and set it up with the right operating system, software and environment to run the competition packages.

System requirements

You will need a computer that has all (or at least most) of these specifications:

  • A dedicated GPU,
    • Nvidia cards tend to work well in Ubuntu
  • A CPU that is at least an Intel i5, or equivalent,
  • At least 4GB of free disk space,
  • At least 8GB of RAM,

Operating System (OS)

We will be using Ubuntu Focal (20.04) operating system (OS) which is a flavor of Linux. We know that some participants may have limited or no experience using Ubuntu, so here is a guide on different ways of setting up an operational Ubuntu Focal instance for this competition

If you have a Windows PC (or any other operating system different from Ubuntu Focal 20.04), here are three (3) options to explore:

  • Option 1 (Recommended): Dual-Boot: Install Ubuntu Focal (20.04) in a dual-boot alongside your Windows OS.
  • Option 2: Using Docker: Run Ubuntu Focal (20.04) in a Docker container on your native Windows OS.
  • Option 3: Using Virtual Machine: Run Ubuntu Focal (20.04) in a Virtual Machine (VM) on your native Windows OS.
  • We have provided a detailed guide on installing Docker on your PC and setting up the right Docker container to run the entire competition.
  • If you are concerned about the dual-boot option, we recommend considering this option.
  • Here is a good guide you can follow to install VirtualBox on your PC and run Ubuntu.
  • NOTE: The above guide focuses on Ubuntu 22.04 whereas we need you to install Ubuntu 20.04, you would need to modify some steps to reflect this.
  • If you prefer video tutorials, consider this: Installing Ubuntu 20.04 on VirtualBox

Installing ROS

Note

If you followed the Using Docker option above, please SKIP this step.

Once you have a fresh Ubuntu Focal (20.04) installation, the next step is to install ROS. We are using the ROS Noetic distribution for this competition. You can install ROS Noetic by following this guide and install ros-noetic-desktop-full in the step 1.4 of the guide.

If you prefer video instructions, you can follow this video: