Compute
Local machine (recommended)
We use Docker containers for all course work. The guide below covers installation for Windows, macOS (including Apple Silicon M-series), and Linux, plus GPU acceleration options.Docker Containers
Docker installation, course environment setup, Apple Silicon / MPS acceleration, ROS on Mac, and all build/run commands.
Google Colaboratory
Google Colab provides free CPU/GPU resources. Log in with your university Gmail account to access expanded Google Drive storage. Colab is useful for demonstrating that your results are replicable and for notebooks that require Colab-specific features. Even when using Colab, you must submit work via GitHub.Hugging Face Spaces
HF Spaces offers free Docker-based environments. A good option when assignments or projects require container-based development without local GPU access.Cloud GPU (optional)
AWS Deep Learning AMIs provide pre-configured GPU instances. Choose this option only if you can afford the hourly rate and are disciplined about monitoring resources and terminating instances.Managing Python dependencies
Python & uv
Installing Python, managing virtual environments, and installing packages with uv — the fast, modern replacement for pip and conda.