Share via

Samples and Tutorials

  • Article

Glossary Item Box

Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio Send feedback on this topic

Samples and Tutorials

Technologies provided under the banner of Microsoft Robotics come with an extensive set of samples and tutorials. We encourage users to use them to learn how to get started writing applications. In general, tutorials are step-by-step, whereas samples are more advanced and do not provide complete explanations. Also look on CodePlex for additional samples that are not included in the RDS package itself.

Robotics Samples and Tutorials

The robotics samples and tutorials cover how to get started building robotics applications. They include:

  • Setting Up Your Hardware: Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio (RDS) can be used with a variety of robot platforms. Follow the instructions for setting up your hardware and its means of communication to your PC running Windows 7. The following information may be helpful in helping set up for the robots supported by the tutorials included in this technical preview.

  • Basic Robotics Tutorials: The basic robotics tutorials help the user get started writing the very first service for a robot. The tutorials guide the user from getting input from a single sensor, to controlling an actuator, and to being able to write a "drive-by-wire" application where the robot can be moved around. If you are a VPL user, you should also look at the VPL Hands On Labs which supplement the information in the VPL versions of the Basic Robotics Tutorials.

  • Advanced Robotics Tutorials: These tutorials demonstrate more advanced topics ranging from autonomous navigation to how to build specific support for a robot.

  • LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT samples and tutorials: provide a variety of services targeting the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT platform especially designed for use with VPL.

  • Technology Samples: Broad set of samples that demonstrate how to use speech technologies and vision technologies with Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio.

  • User Interface Samples: Examples of services that interact with the user via the screen, mouse and keyboard.

Decentralized Software Services Tutorials

The DSS samples and tutorials illustrate the principles behind Decentralized Software Services (DSS). The samples and tutorials illustrate how to get started with simple local tasks through to writing complex distributed applications.

  • DSS Service Tutorials: The service tutorials provide an introduction to several features of the service oriented application model including dealing with state management, subscriptions, and accessing services through a Web browser. Service Tutorials also include examples of how to use DSS Manifest Editor to design and deploy applications that run across multiple nodes. The service tutorials require no robotics hardware, but do require some .NET programming skills.

  • DSS Interop and Device Samples: These samples provide a broad set of samples that demonstrate how to use DSS with various technologies including Web cameras, Game controllers, Graphical User Interfaces (Windows Forms and Windows Presentation Foundation), etc.

Visual Programming Language Tutorials

The Microsoft Visual Programming Language (VPL) samples and tutorials demonstrate how to get started writing CCR/DSS applications using VPL.

  • VPL tutorials: Get started writing your very first program using VPL. The tutorials take you from the classic "Hello World" to how to create your own Activity to modularize an application.

  • Basic Robotics Tutorials for VPL: Get started writing the very first service for a robot. The tutorials guide the user from getting input from a single sensor, to controlling an actuator, and to being able to write a "drive-by-wire" application where the robot can be moved around.

  • LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT samples and tutorials: Provide a variety of services targeting the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT platform especially designed for use with VPL.

  • Hands On Labs: A set of labs about robotics that extend the basic VPL tutorials. The labs take you through common robotics concepts such as reading sensors, controlling actuators, designing simple behaviors, and having a robot interacting with its environment using Robotics Developer Studio. They can be run either with a real robot or in the Simulator, so you do not need a real robot to get started learning about RDS.

Visual Simulation Environment Tutorials

The Visual Simulation Environment Tutorials demonstrate how to get started writing applications for the Microsoft Visual Simulation Environment (VSE).

In addition there are several samples in the Simulation Samples section that demonstrate key concepts.

The samples and tutorials cover areas such as creating geometric entities, handling joints and articulated arms, using the simulation editor and much more.

Video Tutorials

Video tutorials provide in-depth on-demand videos demonstrating Microsoft Robotics technologies in practice. The videos are only available online; they are not included in any product download.

Additional Documentation

Please look in the Documentation folder under your RDS installation folder for more documentation. Several documents are distributed in PDF format and are not included in this Help file.

 

 

© 2012 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.