Session Overview
This session provides a clear, engineering-focused introduction to robotics for students and beginners. We start from fundamentals, robot types, actuators, sensing, control logic, and rapid prototyping, then walk through the assembly and programming flow of a simple mobile robot (LilyBot).
The second half introduces ROS2, modern robotic software design patterns, and a live demonstration of OORB Studio, an AI-native cloud platform for building, simulating, and deploying robots.
Workshop Program
Part 1: Robotics Foundations + First Robot
2:30 PM - 4:00 PM0. Opening Intervention: IEEE Education Society (10 min)
- Intervention by Dr. Hamadou Saliah-Hassane
- Introduction to the IEEE Education Society Virtual Graduate Study Consortium
- Mission, vision, and global impact on graduate studies
- IEEE Education Society standards development initiatives
- Opportunities for students, educators, and researchers
1. Robotics Fundamentals (15 min)
- What defines a robot: autonomy, sensing, actuation, feedback
- Classes of robots (mobile, manipulator, aerial, swarm, soft, educational)
- Hardware stack overview: motors, drivers, microcontrollers, sensors, power
- Control loops and behavior design (open-loop vs closed-loop)
2. Designing a Simple Robot (20 min)
- Mechanical structure and chassis considerations
- Power domains and safety
- Motor driver basics (H-bridge, enable pins, PWM)
- Microcontroller integration (Arduino-based LilyBot as example)
- Walkthrough of assembly constraints using their materials
3. Coding the First Bot (20 min)
- Dividing into teams and assembling the robot
- Structure of the LilyBot codebase
- MotionHelperFunctions.ino fundamentals
- Basic behaviors: forward, turning, obstacle avoidance
- Live explanation of wiring-dependent changes and debugging steps
- Quick onsite demonstration
Short Break
4:00 PM - 4:15 PMRefreshments and networking opportunity
Part 2: ROS2 & Cloud-Native Robotics
4:15 PM - 5:45 PM4. Why ROS2 Matters in 2025+ (10 min)
- Nodes, topics, services, parameters
- Middleware and real-time considerations
- How ROS2 scales from education robots to industrial platforms
5. Transitioning From "Arduino Code" to "ROS2 Systems" (10 min)
- Abstraction layers: firmware → micro-ROS → full ROS2
- How to think in ROS2 graphs (modularity, interoperability)
- Example: mapping LilyBot behaviors to ROS2 nodes
6. Live Walkthrough: OORB Studio (25 min)
- Browser-based ROS2 workspace
- AI-assisted code generation and debugging
- Simulation environment basics
- Deploying nodes and testing behaviors
- Viewing real-time graphs and logs
- Hybrid interactive exercise where remote participants can follow on their own devices
Q&A Session & Networking
5:45 PM - 6:00 PMOpen discussion, questions from participants, and networking opportunities with instructors and fellow robotics enthusiasts.
Workshop Collaborators
Kayoum Djedidi
Telecom Researcher, Embedded Systems Engineer & OORB CEO & Co-founder
PhD candidate in Telecommunications at INRS Montréal with a strong background in Microelectronics and Embedded Systems. His work focuses on real-time systems, FPGA-based acceleration, and 5G/mmWave communications. CEO and co-founder of OORB, advancing accessible and collaborative robotics. IEEE AESS Graduate Scholarship recipient and 2025 IEEE STEM Champion.
Lina Bouallegue
Telecommunications and software Engineer
Telecommunications and software Engineering student at ISITCOM with strong expertise in graphic design and visual communication. Experienced IEEE Region 8 leader, coordinating international programs and mentoring students. Passionate about AI and machine learning research, with hands-on experience in software development, web and mobile applications, and cloud technologies.
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