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Connect to your robot and install software

Time: 10:40 AM to 11:10 AM
Your robot is now powered on and connected to WiFi. In this section, you will open a terminal on your laptop, connect to the Raspberry Pi remotely, and run a setup script that installs everything the robot needs.

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What is SSH?

SSH stands for Secure Shell. It lets you control another computer by typing text commands on your laptop. Instead of plugging a keyboard and monitor into the Raspberry Pi, you send commands over the WiFi network. Everything you type in your terminal gets executed on the robot. Think of it like texting instructions to someone in another room — except the “someone” is your robot’s computer.

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Find and open your terminal

A terminal (also called a command line) is a program where you type commands instead of clicking buttons. Every laptop has one built in.
  1. Press Cmd + Space to open Spotlight search.
  2. Type Terminal and press Enter.
  3. A window with a dark or light background and a blinking cursor appears — this is your terminal.
Keep this terminal window open for the rest of the camp. You will use it constantly.

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Verify the Pi is on the network

Before connecting, confirm that your laptop can see the robot on WiFi. Type this command and press Enter:
What this does: ping sends a tiny message to the robot and waits for a reply. If you get replies, the robot is on the network and reachable.
Terminal showing successful ping responses from picar.local
You should see lines like 64 bytes from picar.local repeating. Press Ctrl + C to stop the ping.
If ping fails (you see “could not resolve host” or “request timed out”):
  1. Make sure your laptop is on the same WiFi network as the robot.
  2. The Pi may still be booting — wait 2 to 3 minutes and try again.
  3. If it still fails, ask a facilitator for help. They can check your Pi’s connection from the router.

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SSH into the robot

Now you will connect to the robot. Type this command and press Enter:
Here is what each part means:
  • ssh — the command to start a secure connection
  • car — the username on the Raspberry Pi
  • picar.local — the hostname of your robot on the network

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Accept the fingerprint

The first time you connect, you will see a security message like this:
Terminal showing SSH fingerprint warning asking to continue connecting
This is normal. The terminal is asking if you trust this computer. Type yes and press Enter.
You only see this fingerprint question the first time. Future connections skip it.

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Enter your password

The terminal asks for a password. Type:
Then press Enter.
Nothing appears as you type the password — no dots, no stars, no characters at all. This is normal terminal behavior for security. Type the password and press Enter even though the screen looks blank.

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You are connected

After entering the password, your terminal prompt changes:
Terminal showing successful SSH login to the Raspberry Pi
You now see something like:
Here is what that prompt means:
  • car — the user you are logged in as
  • picar — the name of the computer (your robot)
  • ~ — your current folder (the home directory)
  • $ — the terminal is ready for your next command
You are now inside your robot. Every command you type runs on the Raspberry Pi, not on your laptop.

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Verify internet access

Confirm the robot can reach the internet. Run:
You should see replies coming back. Press Ctrl + C to stop. Next, check the robot’s IP address:
This prints a number like 192.168.1.42 — that is your robot’s address on the WiFi network. Write it down as a backup in case picar.local stops working later.

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Clone the camp repo and run setup

The setup script installs all the software your robot needs: motor drivers, camera libraries, audio support, and more.
1

Clone the camp repository

Download all camp files onto the Pi:
This creates a ~/camp folder with all scripts organized by day.
2

Run the setup script

Run the script with administrator privileges:
What sudo means: sudo stands for “superuser do.” Some software installations require administrator access — sudo gives the script permission to install system-level packages.
This takes 15 to 20 minutes on a Pi Zero 2 W. Do not close the terminal or disconnect from WiFi while it runs. You will see a lot of text scrolling by — this is normal.
3

What the script installs

The script sets up everything your robot needs:
  • robot-hat — the hardware interface library
  • vilib — the camera and vision library
  • picar-x — the motor and servo control library
  • espeak — text-to-speech so the robot can talk
  • I2S audio driver — enables the onboard speaker and microphone
You do not need to install any of these individually.
4

Reboot when prompted

At the end of the script, it asks if you want to reboot. Type y and press Enter.
The connection drops — this is expected. The robot is restarting.
5

Reconnect after reboot

Wait about 60 seconds for the Pi to restart, then SSH back in:
Enter the password car when prompted. You are back in.
Setup complete. Your robot now has all the software it needs for the rest of the camp.

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WiFi troubleshooting

If you run into network issues at any point, work through this list:
If you know your Pi’s IP address, you can always connect with ssh car@192.168.x.x (replacing x.x with the actual numbers) instead of using the hostname.

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Raspberry Pi Connect as backup

If SSH does not work after troubleshooting, you can use Raspberry Pi Connect as a backup. This service was set up when you flashed the SD card.
1

Open Raspberry Pi Connect

In your browser, go to connect.raspberrypi.com.
2

Sign in

Log in with the Raspberry Pi account you created during the SD card setup.
3

Open a remote shell

Find your device listed as picar and click Remote shell. This opens a terminal in your browser that works exactly like SSH.
Raspberry Pi Connect requires the Pi to have internet access. If the Pi is not connected to WiFi at all, this backup will not work either — ask a facilitator for hands-on help.