Install WWW-POSIM

Choose the section for your computer. After installation, use the same verified email account as the website.

Windows: install and open the app

Install Docker Desktop. Follow its WSL2 setup and restart your computer if requested. Docker provides the Linux environment used by the simulator.
Open Docker Desktop and wait until it says the engine is running.
Download the Windows installer, open it and follow the installer steps.
Open WWW-POSIM from the Start menu. Sign in and select Start simulator.
Your browser opens the local simulator. Continue with your first world.

Keep Docker Desktop running while using the app. The app selects and downloads its matching simulator images automatically.

Mac: install and open the app

Use an Apple Silicon Mac with macOS 27 or later. Check Apple menu → About This Mac if you do not know your model or macOS version.

Download the Mac DMG.
Open the downloaded file. Drag WWW-POSIM onto Applications.
Try opening WWW-POSIM from Applications. The app uses an ad-hoc signature and is not Apple-notarized.
If macOS blocks this first launch, open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll to Security, and select Open Anyway beside WWW-POSIM. Select Open in the confirmation and authenticate if macOS asks. This follows Apple's first-launch instructions.
Sign in and select Start simulator. The first start unpacks the included engine. Watch the size, progress and estimated remaining time.
When your browser opens, continue with your first world.

The Mac app includes its ROS environment and uses Metal for graphics.

Ubuntu: install and open the app

Use Ubuntu 26.04 or 24.04 on an x86-64 computer. Press Ctrl+Alt+T to open a terminal. Copy this block, paste it into the terminal and press Enter:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y docker.io curl
sudo systemctl enable --now docker
sudo usermod -aG docker "$USER"
mkdir -p ~/Downloads
cd ~/Downloads
curl -fL -o www-posim.deb https://www-posim.vercel.app/guide/packages/latest/linux-amd64.deb
sudo apt install ./www-posim.deb

Enter your computer's password when sudo asks. Characters do not appear while you type.
Log out of Ubuntu and log back in. This enables Docker access for your account.
Open WWW-POSIM from the application menu, or run www-posim in a new terminal.
Sign in and select Start simulator.
When your browser opens, continue with your first world.

Verify your account and start learning

Create your account on the website. Open the verification email and select Verify email, then sign in to the app. Check spam if the email is missing. The app can save your password in the operating system's credential store after successful verified login.

An internet connection is needed for login and periodic usage permission checks. Prepare disk space for the engine, maps and models.

Next: run your first world, then control WAM-V with Python in VS Code. Use Create Python project and Open ROS terminal in the launcher for prepared examples and ROS tools.

Advanced: packages, updates and runtime details

Account and usage time

Web sessions and the desktop app use the same email account.

Default allowance: 1 hour/day on the web, 3 hours/day on desktop
Desktop resources: your computer's CPU/GPU
Free Pro: six months of unlimited desktop use; web allowance stays separate

Select Account → Free Pro mode → Switch to free Pro for immediate activation without approval or payment.

All features are free. Affiliation and usage details are administrative records. Class coupons apply their specified dates. See time accounting and free Pro.

Packages

The links below download the latest published release for each platform.

Platform	Package	Engine
Apple Silicon · macOS 27 or later	DMG	Bundled native ROS 2, Gazebo, Metal rendering, Autopilot and workbench
Ubuntu 26.04 / 24.04 · x86-64	DEB	Local Docker engine with matching runtime and workbench images
Windows · x86-64	EXE	Local Docker/WSL2 engine with matching images

SHA-256 checksums · Package manifest

The Mac app is ad-hoc signed and has no Apple notarization. Engine and user data are stored outside the app bundle.

Surface and underwater Autopilot
Camera, LiDAR and IMU
Local ROS control
Metal GPU rendering

Apple Silicon Mac

Open the DMG and drag WWW-POSIM to Applications. Alternatively, install the same app with Homebrew:

brew tap ioes-lab/www-posim
brew trust --cask ioes-lab/www-posim/www-posim
brew install --cask ioes-lab/www-posim/www-posim

The Homebrew trust command permits loading this application’s custom Cask.

If Homebrew requests packages.arm64_dunno.jws.json and receives HTTP 404, its macOS version table does not recognize macOS 27. Update Homebrew without its package API, then repeat the installation:

HOMEBREW_NO_INSTALL_FROM_API=1 brew update
HOMEBREW_NO_AUTO_UPDATE=1 brew tap ioes-lab/www-posim
HOMEBREW_NO_AUTO_UPDATE=1 brew trust --cask ioes-lab/www-posim/www-posim
HOMEBREW_NO_AUTO_UPDATE=1 brew install --cask ioes-lab/www-posim/www-posim

These environment variables apply only to each command. See Homebrew’s environment options. If Homebrew still fails, use the DMG above to install the same application.

Open the app and use the same email account as the website.

Account server: connected automatically
First run: bundled engine extracted into Library
Progress: login, verification, unpacked size / total, percentage and estimated remaining time, then service startup
Simulation: Gazebo, ROS 2 and Autopilot run on your Mac
Rendering: local GPU through Metal
Updates: choose Update to VERSION

You can continue with the installed engine. An offered update leaves the running simulation in place.

To use local ROS code, load the bundled environment in each terminal:

eval "$(/Applications/WWW-POSIM.app/Contents/MacOS/WWW-POSIM --ros-env)"

Continue with ROS 2 and local control. The simulator includes the connector and standard ROS messages. Add your own algorithm's dependencies to a compatible environment; RViz is an optional additional application.

Ubuntu

Install the signed APT source from the platform's stable address.

SERVER=https://www-posim.vercel.app
curl -fSL "$SERVER/guide/packages/apt/www-posim-archive-keyring.gpg" | \
  sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/www-posim-archive-keyring.gpg >/dev/null
echo "deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/www-posim-archive-keyring.gpg] $SERVER/guide/packages/apt stable main" | \
  sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/www-posim.list
sudo apt update
sudo apt install www-posim
www-posim

You can also download the DEB and install it with sudo apt install ./www-posim_*_amd64.deb.

Docker: available to your user account
Engine images: selected automatically for the installed app version
GPU rendering: drivers and container runtime compatible with those images

Windows

Run the EXE installer and open WWW-POSIM.

Runtime: Docker Desktop with its WSL2 engine
Engine images: selected automatically for the installed app version
Account server: connects automatically to https://www-posim.vercel.app/api
User data: local application data directory
GPU-enabled images: compatible graphics drivers required

Select a graphics device

Graphics in local settings defaults to Automatic (recommended). The app checks an actual EGL graphics device inside the engine container. Windows NVIDIA systems use the WSL D3D12 path. If no hardware renderer is available, the app uses CPU rendering and displays the reason.

GPU required stops startup if the GPU check fails. Software (CPU) selects CPU rendering. Linux NVIDIA systems need compatible drivers and NVIDIA Container Toolkit. The default Mac engine uses Metal.

The Windows Docker engine uses the WSL2 backend. A separate Ubuntu distribution is unnecessary for running the simulator. Prepare Ubuntu 26.04 and ROS 2 Lyrical separately for the ROS control terminal. Install the NVIDIA driver on Windows.

The installed workspace scene is rendered by local Gazebo Ogre2. Drag to orbit the observer camera and scroll to zoom. The view displays a waiting state when frames are missing or stale.

Accounts and storage

Register with your email on the platform. The installed simulator checks running-time permissions with the account server, so an internet connection is needed for login and periodic renewal. Prepare disk space for the engine, downloaded terrain and custom models. Account upload limits and free space on your computer are separate.

After signing in, select a real region and robot in your first simulation. Ending the session returns the server slot or stops the local engine.

Updates

End the simulation, then update using one of these methods.

App: Update to VERSION
Homebrew: brew upgrade --cask www-posim
APT: sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
Direct installation: download and install the current package

The Mac updater verifies the download and signature before replacement. If the engine matches, only app files are downloaded. Models, terrain caches and projects outside the app are retained.

For a separate ROS workstation, prepare the connector wheel and a compatible ROS environment. See ROS 2 connection.

Release engine images

The app automatically downloads matching engine and workbench images from Docker Hub for its installed version. These public images require no registry login or image URL entry. The native Mac package uses its bundled engine. You can also pull the images in advance:

docker.io/ioeslab/www-posim-engine:0.5.4-amd64
docker.io/ioeslab/www-posim-web:0.5.4-amd64

docker pull docker.io/ioeslab/www-posim-engine:0.5.4-amd64
docker pull docker.io/ioeslab/www-posim-web:0.5.4-amd64