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Welcome to the NeuroBot Physical AI & Humanoid Robotics Textbook

Welcome to your comprehensive journey into the fascinating world of Physical AI and Humanoid Robotics! This textbook will guide you through building intelligent robots that can see, think, move, and interact naturally in human environments.

What You'll Learn​

This textbook is organized into a structured 13-week curriculum covering:

🤖 Introduction to Physical AI (Weeks 1-2)​

  • Understanding what Physical AI means
  • Overview of humanoid robotics
  • Course structure and learning path

🧠 Module 1: The Robotic Nervous System - ROS 2 (Weeks 3-5)​

  • ROS 2 architecture and core concepts
  • Nodes, topics, services, and actions
  • Building ROS 2 packages with Python
  • Launch files and parameter management
  • URDF for humanoid robots

🎮 Module 2: The Digital Twin - Gazebo & Unity (Weeks 6-7)​

  • Gazebo simulation environment setup
  • Robot description formats (URDF/SDF)
  • Physics and sensor simulation
  • Unity for robot visualization
  • Integrating Gazebo with ROS 2

🚀 Module 3: The AI-Robot Brain - NVIDIA Isaac™ (Weeks 8-10)​

  • NVIDIA Isaac SDK and Isaac Sim
  • AI-powered perception
  • Reinforcement learning for robot control
  • Sim-to-real transfer techniques
  • Hardware-accelerated VSLAM

👁️ Module 4: Vision-Language-Action (VLA) (Weeks 11-13)​

  • Voice-to-action with OpenAI Whisper
  • LLMs for cognitive planning
  • Multi-modal interaction design
  • Capstone project: Autonomous humanoid
  • Debugging and deployment

Prerequisites​

Before starting this course, you should have:

  • Basic Python programming knowledge
  • Familiarity with command line interface
  • Understanding of basic robotics concepts (helpful but not required)
  • Ubuntu 22.04 LTS installed (or access to a Linux environment)

Hardware Requirements​

Workstation Option​

  • GPU: NVIDIA RTX 4070 Ti (12GB VRAM) minimum, RTX 4090 (24GB) recommended
  • CPU: Intel i7 13th Gen+ or AMD Ryzen 9
  • RAM: 64GB DDR5 (32GB minimum)
  • OS: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

Cloud Alternative​

  • AWS g5.2xlarge or g6e.xlarge instances
  • Cost-effective for students without high-end hardware
  • Sim-to-real transfer workflows covered

How to Use This Textbook​

  1. Follow the modules sequentially - Each module builds upon the previous one
  2. Complete hands-on exercises - Practice is essential for mastering robotics
  3. Review learning objectives - Each chapter has clear goals
  4. Use the navigation sidebar - Jump between chapters as needed
  5. Engage with the community - Share your progress and ask questions

About This Project​

This textbook is part of the Panaversity initiative to make cutting-edge AI and robotics education accessible to everyone. It combines theoretical knowledge with practical, hands-on implementation.

Contributing​

This is an open-source educational resource. Contributions, feedback, and suggestions are welcome!

Ready to Begin?​

Let's start your journey into Physical AI and Humanoid Robotics! Click on "Introduction" in the sidebar to begin with the foundational concepts.

Note: This textbook is continuously evolving. New content, examples, and exercises will be added regularly. Make sure to check back for updates!