About the Course
This course will cover various topics in autonomous robotics, including architectures, basic kinematics, basic controls, reactivity, planning, simulation and modeling, sensing and locomotion, and multiagent environments. The course will cover both high-level abstract topics and nuts-and-bolts of robot construction, including some simple sensor and microelectronics and programming.The course will include labs involved in construction and programming of a mobile autonomous robot. Depending on class size, such construction and programming may be done by teams. Programming will be done in Java and C.
Further information will appear on the Course Web Page
Texts
 | There are no good general texts on autonomous robotics. They're all terrible. So we're going with the cheapest terrible option: Computational Principles of Mobile Robotics by Gregory Dudek and Michael Jenkin. Get the softcover version. We will also be using various lecture notes and chapters from other texts as necessary. |
Tentative Class Schedule
This class schedule is certain to change significantly. It's primary function here is to give you an idea of what the course might entail. There are fourteen weeks all told:- Introduction, Braitenberg Vehicles, basic concepts in autonomous agents, laboratory, robot construction
- Microelectronics, Sensors, Effectors, Mechanics
- Reactive Control
- Kinematics
- Controls and Pose Maintenance
- Multi-agent Robotics
- Midterm. Special lecture: Computer Vision
(Spring Break) - Search, Probability
- Localization
- Path Planning
- Partial-Order Planning, Multi-agent Planning, Robot Architectures
- Reinforcement Learning
- Neural Networks
- (Final Project Presentations)
Grading Policies
This course will consist of homework and projects, possibly including a final project, and two exams. The breakdown will be approximately:
| Homework and Projects | 50% with higher weight given to harder projects (the final project may count for half of the weight or more) |
| Exams | 25% Each |
There will be no make-up tests for missed examinations. Late homework will be accepted but at a loss of 20% per day (homework later than 4 days, or after the last day of class, is worth nothing).