COMP0037_24-25

About

This repository contains lab exercises for the COMP0037 Robotic Systems module for taught students at UCL as part of the IEP Minor in Intelligent Systems. Exercises are designed to be attempted in the on-campus lab sessions on Friday afternoon, though you are free to do additional work in your own time if you wish.

Lab attendance will be monitored, but the exercises are not graded. You are welcome to discuss and help each other with these tasks and to ask for assistance and clarification from the TAs, but there is nothing to be gained by simply copying each others' work.

Install basic software (before start of term)

• Install Git (if you don't already have it).
• Install Python 3 (if you don't already have it).
• Install Ghostscript. For Windows, use the 64-bit binary AGPL release. For Mac, use home brew and run brew install ghostscript. For Linux, use apt install ghostscript, snap install code --classic (or your preferred package manager).

In addition we highly recommend using Visual Studio code:

• Download Visual Studio Code, an easy-to-use editor
• Install the Python Plugin and test the hello world example

Install software to support this module

• Download the material from GitHub: COMP0037 Robotic Systems and put the lab material in a folder named, for example, "comp0037-labs":

  mkdir comp0037-labs
  cd comp0037-labs
  git clone https://github.com/UCL/COMP0037_24-25.git
  

• Open the cloned folder in Visual Studio Code: File > Open Folder > select the cloned repository folder

• Open a new terminal in Visual Studio Code and make sure you are in the folder 'comp0037-labs'

• Create and activate a virtual environment:

  python3 -m venv comp0037-venv
  # On Unix/MacOS:
  source comp0037-venv/bin/activate
  # On Windows:
  .\comp0037-venv\Scripts\activate
  # Upgrade pip:
  python -m pip install --upgrade pip
  

  If you get the error "python3 : The term 'python3' is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet, function, script file, or operable program. Check the spelling of the name, or if a path was included, verify that the path is correct and try again", try using:

  python -m venv comp0037-venv
  

  If you are encountering issues, you can create a conda environment

  conda create -n comp0037-venv python=3.9 -y
  conda activate comp0037-venv
  

• Install the Python package requirements:

  pip install -r requirements-1.txt

  In case packages are missing, you can just run

  pip install _package_

• Select the Python interpreter. If you do not do this, then none of the packages you just installed will be recognized. There are the "easy" instructions (which did not work for me, version 1.85.1) and the harder ones.

• Easier: On the bottom left of you VS Code window you should see a "Select Interpreter" button:

  • Click on the button
  • Select "Enter interpreter path..."
  • Select "Find..."
    • Go to your virtual environment folder in comp0037-venv > Scripts > python.exe > Select Interpreter (Windows)
    • Go to your virtual environment folder in comp0037-venv > bin > python.exe (or just python if you don't see the .exe extension)> Select Interpreter (Unix/MacOS)
  • Instead of "Select Interpreter" you should now see "3.x.x('comp0037-venv':venv) or similar

• Harder: Press ctrl + shift + p

  • In the dialogue box type python: select interpreter
  • Use the file browser (which might open behind the edit screen), navigate to the comp0037-venv directory and select bin/python
  • There is no visual update ot say the interpreter has worked but the dependencies seem to be in place.