New Free Course Teaches Robots to Think with AI

A robotics expert has released a free, self-paced course that teaches you how to make robots smarter using modern AI. The course focuses on a simulated greenhouse robot whose job is to inspect tomato rows. You'll learn to connect ROS 2 (a popular robot software framework) with AI agents (AI that can take actions) and vision-language-action models (AI that sees, understands language, and controls actions). Everything runs on your computer, so you don't need a physical robot.

The course is designed to be accessible. Modules 0 to 2 only require a computer with 8 GB of RAM and no graphics card, so most laptops can handle them. For the final module, where you train a VLA model, you'll need an NVIDIA GPU with at least 4 GB of memory—common in gaming laptops. All the code, including the robot simulation, skill servers, and agent scripts, is available on GitHub for free.

This matters because robots are starting to leave factories and enter everyday spaces like farms and warehouses. Teaching them to understand natural language and visual information is a key skill for the future. By working through this course, you'll get hands-on experience with the same tools professionals use, without the cost of hardware. It's a great way to upskill if you're curious about robotics or AI, even if you're not an engineer.

The course is open for feedback, so the creator is inviting learners to shape its development. Whether you're a hobbyist, a student, or a professional looking to switch fields, this course offers a practical entry point into the exciting world of intelligent robots.