Learning about robotics doesn't need to feel intimidating.

I've been in technology for over 10 years, and many of the tools and techniques are standard across industries. A great example is programming languages. To use the Robotic Operating System (ROS), you only need to know one of two languages.

Python and/or C++.

Python For Easy Scripting And Rapid Prototyping

From machine learning to web backends, Python is a common language across technology industries today.

In ROS2 you can do everything using Python. This includes:

• creating new nodes

• running scripts to launch full robot systems, and,

• implmenting new algorithms.

The benefit of Python is its relative ease of use that means you can build your prototypes much faster.

Yet sometimes you need more safety or more speed.

C++ For Faster Algorithms And Type Safety

For over 37 years C++ has been a standard language for computer systems.

Much like Machine Learning systems, in ROS python is often a wrapper for procedures written in C++. As robot systems are usually computer hardware constrained, the extra speed from using C++ can be worth the extra effort required to get it to work. An added benefit is the compiler can check your program and catch bugs that python might miss.

C++ is often what production robotic systems are written in.